System for sorting commercial articles and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A direction indicator placed on one site of a sorting block indicates, for a given good, the direction towards a nominated slot through which the good is to be placed in the block. This arrangement makes it possible for the hauler to immediately put a good into a nominated slot without looking around at sorting blocks at large, which will lead to the improvement of work efficiency. Moreover, because this will moderate the burden imposed on the hauler, the number of wrongly hauled goods would be greatly reduced.  
     If a good is passed through a wrong slot, it is recognized by a sensor and then an alarming means is activated to generate a buzzing sound or a blinking light to alarm. This arrangement will make it possible to greatly reduce the number of wrongly hauled goods.  
     In association with the entry of every good, the name of the provider, as well as the name of the manufacturer of the good, the property of the good and the number of its scheduled input, is given because the provider can feed his name through an input feeding means.  
     This arrangement will make it possible to efficiently manage inflow goods according to the name of providers, simply dependent on identification codes generally attached to goods such as a JAN code or ITF code.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a system for sorting commercialarticles and a method therefor, particularly to a system suitable foruse at a distribution center which sorts a wide variety of commercialarticles by small amounts according to their destinations, and a methodtherefor.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Conventionally, commercial goods to be distributed to retailerssuch as super-markets or convenience stores are delivered, for example,by trucks from a center serving as a base to and from which commercialgoods are concentrated and dispersed. Commercial goods to be distributedto retailers are collected by the vendors (wholesalers) of those goodsand then sent by them to a distribution center where those goods aresorted by ordered amounts according to the retailers to which they areto be sent, and the goods thus sorted by ordered amounts are distributedaccording to their destinations.

[0005] Commercial goods sent by vendors to a distribution center(transportation center) are divided into two classes at an entry dockaccording to whether they should be stored or passed. Some commercialgoods are stored in a storage area by palettes, cartons, pieces, orboluses.

[0006] For storage, for example, an automated storage/retrieval system(AS/RS) or a palette rack coupled with the use of a forklift is used.The AS/RS includes storage racks with pick-up conveyors between the rowsof racks, and stacking cranes. Commercial goods (existing as units suchas cartons or boluses) on palettes placed on a rack are taken out asappropriate by a hauler according to shipment information, andtransferred onto a conveyor for shipment.

[0007] Commercial goods thus picked are sent to a preparatory sortingarea where, if goods exist as pieces or boluses, they are packed intocontainers or cartons. The containers and cartons are then transferredto a sorting area for shipment where they are sorted according to thepurchasers to which they are to be sent. Then, they are stacked on cagecarriers, and transferred to trucks for shipment.

[0008] Sorting is performed as follows. Goods sent by providers aregiven labels printing data necessary for sorting such as the kind,number, purchaser, etc. of the goods. Goods with labels attached areplaced on trays and carried through a conveyor to a sorting area.

[0009] Next, scanners placed at respective sorting blocks and connectedto a controller read the data, and distribute required amounts of goodsto the slots of nominated blocks according to the instructions from thecontroller. Repetition of this operation results in the distribution ofgoods to the sorting blocks according to the orders from purchasers.

[0010] During this operation, barcodes printed on the label of each goodare read by the scanner. On the label two kinds of barcode are printed:one includes information necessary for managing the good, and the otherinformation necessary for distributing the good. Thus, when goods arereceived, a scanner placed at an inlet reads the barcode necessary forgood management to check the contents of the goods, and the goods areguided from there to a line. Then, another scanner reads the barcode forgood distribution.

[0011] The barcode is prepared based on JAN (Japan Article Number) orITF (Interleaved Two of Five) which deals with the information relatedwith commercial goods and their cases.

[0012] The goods thus sorted are carried separately, and requiredamounts of them are transferred into containers arranged along conveyorroutes according to destinations. Cart drivers drive carts carryingcontainers along circuit routes connecting junction areas where thecontainers are classified according to their destinations, or transferdisjoined goods on their carts into containers.

[0013] At a distribution center, goods are classified according to thepurchasers and categories, and to the aisles and racks of thepurchasers' shops where they are to be displayed for sale, and separatedaccording to the classification. If required amounts of them are packedin cartons (made of paper), the goods are handled as cartons. If goodsexist as disjoined pieces, they are divided by required amounts, and therequired amounts are put into foldable plastic containers in the orderof arrival. The cartons and containers are then loaded on cargo carriershaving casters such as carts or wheeled cages, or on carrying means suchas dolleys or handcarts.

[0014] Then, they are sent to shipment lines, transferred to trucks, anddistributed to individual shops for sale. The goods thus distributed toindividual shops may be directly transferred to the racks of the shops,to be arranged there for sale, or may be temporarily stored in the backrooms of the shops.

[0015] At a distribution center, commercial goods are loaded on carts orwheeled cages, with no due attention being paid to the characteristicsof the goods, the state of their packages, the state of their loading,or, if the goods are classified to the same category, the racks of theshop to which they will be displayed for sale, and the order of display.

[0016] Thus, during transference, a plastic container may be placed on acardboard box; a heavy object may be placed above a light object; a goodto be displayed on a rack may coexist with another good to be stored ina storeroom; or a good to be displayed on a rack may coexist withanother good to be displayed on a different rack.

[0017] If what is described above happens, the cardboard carton or thelight object might collapse, or the good might be wrongly stored orplaced on a wrong rack for display, and, for correcting the error, itmight be required to make repeated to-and-fro movements between the rackand the storage room, or between the different racks. To avoid this, theshop manager, when he receives goods in, for example, a wheeled cage,must take out them all from the wheeled cage, and reclassify themaccording to the characteristics of the goods, their packages, and theracks on which they are to be displayed for sale.

[0018] Of those goods, some must be placed on racks for display, othersin a cooled display case, and still others in the storeroom. However, itmay take long to distribute them all to proper places, and goodsrequiring cooled or frozen storage to keep freshness may be left withoutreceiving no proper care for temperature management.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The object of this invention is to provide a system forclassifying commercial articles whereby it is possible to improveefficiency when it is required to classify a wide variety of goods bysmall amounts according to the orders from purchasers, and a methodtherefor.

[0020] To achieve the above object, the system for classifyingcommercial goods according to this invention comprises a plurality ofsorting blocks with respective entry slots through which the blocksreceive goods according to their destinations; a reading means forreading data necessary for the classification of goods, provided toincoming single or grouped goods; and a controller which, based on thedata necessary for the classification of goods read by the readingmeans, nominates an entry slot for a given good, wherein, when a slot isnominated by the controller for a given good, a direction indicatorindicates the direction towards the slot.

[0021] With the system of this invention being configured as above, thedirection indicator placed on one site of a sorting block indicates, fora given good, the direction towards the nominated slot through which thegood is to be placed in a block. This arrangement makes it possible forthe hauler to immediately put a good into a nominated slot withoutlooking around at the sorting blocks at large, which will lead to theimprovement of work efficiency. Moreover, because this will moderate theburden imposed on the hauler, the number of wrongly hauled goods wouldbe greatly reduced.

[0022] The term “sorting block” used here refers to a range of slots onehauler can cover. The controller is not limited to a terminal of a hostcomputer which controls the sorting system at large, but may be aterminal to independently control a single sorting block.

[0023] The direction indicator generally may take the form of a liquidcrystal display where the direction towards a nominated slot isindicated by an arrow, but is not limited to any specific display,provided that the direction towards a nominated slot can be signaled.

[0024] To achieve the above object, the good sorting system according tothis invention is further provided with an inflow sensor to detect theinflow of a good through a slot; and an alarming means which alarms assoon as it finds that, for a given good, its entry slot identified by aninflow sensor is different from that nominated by the controller.

[0025] With the good sorting system of this invention being configuredas above, if a good is passed through a wrong slot, it is recognized bythe sensor and then the alarming means is activated to generate abuzzing sound or a blinking light to alarm. This arrangement will makeit possible to greatly reduce the number of wrongly hauled goods.

[0026] The inflow sensor may include, for example, a commerciallyavailable infra-red beam sensor. If an infra-red beam sensor is used fora slot, and a good is hauled into the slot, the good or a part of bodyof the hauler interrupts the infra-red beam, the interruption signal istransmitted to a controller which recognizes that a good is passedthrough the slot.

[0027] Alternatively, a weight sensor may be used that detects anadditional weight when a good is hauled into a slot. The mode andplacement of the sensor is not limited to any specific ones.

[0028] To achieve the above object, a good managing system according tothis invention comprises an inflow good managing system provided with aninput feeding means through which providers can enter their name whenputting goods into the system; a means for reading informationindicating the property of goods and attached to the goods; a means forstoring in memory a list of good data carrying the name of providers,the property of goods scheduled to be received for the day and theirnumbers; and a control means based on inflow data which compares thename of providers fed through the input feeding means with the list ofgood data, and writes the number of actually received goods into thememory of the list storing means.

[0029] The good managing system of this invention being configured asabove recognizes, based on the output from the good data reading means,the name of the manufacturer of a good, the property of the good, andthe number of its scheduled input, and, in addition, the name of theprovider, because the provider can feed his name through the inputfeeding means.

[0030] This arrangement will make it possible to efficiently manageinflow goods according to the name of providers, simply dependent onidentification codes generally attached to goods such as a JAN code orITF code.

[0031] To achieve the above object, a good delivery system according tothis invention comprises a movable loader consisting of a rack forstoring goods, a conveyor placed in parallel with the rack, and aplatform movable along the conveyor, thereby facilitating the transferof goods from the rack to the conveyor or vice versa.

[0032] With the good delivery system of this invention being configuredas above, the hauler can simply haul a good from a rack to a platform inorder to transfer it to a conveyor, and readily move the platform to arack which stores a desired good. This arrangement will reduce laborrequired for hauling, thereby improving the efficiency of hauling.Further, this arrangement will improve the precision of hauling becausehauling is achieved based on the signal from a terminal sensor.

[0033] To achieve the above object, a sorting-for-shipment systemaccording to this invention carries unit cases containing goods to beshipped through a conveyor to a sorting-for-shipment area, sorting therethe goods according to the orders from purchasers, and transferring thesorted goods by carts for shipment, wherein a buffer storage line toreceive unit cases carried from an inflow area is provided to theconveyor leading to the sorting-for-shipment area.

[0034] With the sorting-for-shipment system of this invention beingconfigured as above, it is possible to store containers and cartons sentfrom a storage area or from an inflow area at the buffer storage line,and thus to selectively transport the containers and cartons that meetgiven stacking requirements in an orderly manner.

[0035] This arrangement will make it possible to stack goods in the samecategory in different wheeled cages according to the location of theracks on which they will be displayed for sale, and the state and weightof their cases.

[0036] To achieve the above object, a sorting method according to thisinvention consists of, to sort goods on a delivery line according tospecified requirements, returning to an upstream line the goods that donot meet the requirements, and, if they meet the requirements, pass themin order through a delivery line for subsequent processes.

[0037] With the sorting method of this invention being configured asabove, goods on a delivery line are sorted according to specifiedrequirements, and, if they are found not to meet the requirements, theyare returned to an upstream line, while if they are found to meet therequirements, they are passed in order through a delivery line forsubsequent processes. This arrangement will make it possible toselectively deliver goods that meet specified requirements, and thus totransfer them into trucks according to the property of goods, and thestate of package, thereby obviating the need for reclassification at thepurchasers' shops.

[0038] To achieve the above object, a good sorting system according tothis invention comprises a first conveyor to carry trays bearing goodsto be sorted; a second conveyor branching off from the first conveyor;and a plurality of slots at which containers are arranged to receivegoods according to their attributes for sorting, to which are furtherprovided the plurality of sorting lines consisting of racks placedopposite to the second conveyor; a sorter to guide each tray carriedthrough the first conveyor to one of the sorting lines; a means forreading the identification data of each tray passing through the firstconveyor; a memory means to store a good information table by which tocompare the data of goods contained in the tray with the identificationdata of that tray just read, and the pattern of slots arranged atindividual sorting lines; a control means to control the sorter, basedon the identification data of the tray and the good information tableboth stored in the memory means, such that the tray may be guided toappropriate one among the plurality of sorting lines; and directionindicator means implemented to respective blocks of the racks, so as toindicate the No. of the slot and its direction.

[0039] With the good sorting system of this invention being configuredas above, trays bearing goods to be sorted are carried through the firstconveyor; the tray is guided by the sorter to one of the sorting lineswith a second conveyor running in parallel; a good information table bywhich to compare the data of goods contained in the tray with theidentification data of that tray just read, and the pattern of slotsarranged at individual sorting lines are stored in the memory means; andthe sorter is controlled by the control means, based on theidentification data of the tray and the good information table bothstored in the memory means, such that the tray may be guided toappropriate one among the plurality of sorting lines. Then the directionindicator means implemented to respective blocks of the racks indicatethe No. of the slot and its direction.

[0040] This arrangement will improve the efficiency of work whichrequires a wide variety of goods to be sorted by small amounts accordingto the orders from their purchasers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041]FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a part of an article sorting systemrepresenting a first embodiment according to this invention.

[0042]FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing for illustrating how goods areconveyed to a sorting rack of FIG. 1.

[0043]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for illustrating how a directionindicator provided to each sorting block indicates the direction towardsa nominated slot.

[0044]FIG. 4 is a diagram for illustrating how the entry indicatorprovided at each slot of FIG. 1 signals the slot to receive goods, andthe number of goods (No. 1).

[0045]FIG. 5 is a diagram for illustrating how the entry indicatorprovided at each slot of FIG. 1 signals the slot to receive goods, andthe number of goods (No. 2).

[0046]FIG. 6 is a diagram for illustrating how the entry indicatorprovided at each slot of FIG. 1 signals the slot to receive goods, andthe number of goods (No. 3).

[0047]FIG. 7 is a flowchart indicating the steps taken by an articlesorting system containing a sorting rack as shown in FIG. 1.

[0048]FIG. 8 is a diagram for illustrating the composition of an inflowmanagement system representing a second embodiment of this invention.

[0049]FIG. 9 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of acontrol system to control the system depicted in FIG. 8.

[0050]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the steps taken by a PC terminalfor practicing a processing assigned to it (No. 1).

[0051]FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the steps taken by a PC terminalfor practicing a processing assigned to it (No. 2).

[0052]FIG. 12 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby a feeder control terminal.

[0053]FIG. 13 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby a sorter control terminal.

[0054]FIG. 14 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby a PC terminal arranged along an inflow label sticking line.

[0055]FIG. 15 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby a feeder controller.

[0056]FIG. 16 is a diagram for illustrating the processing practiced bya feeder controller.

[0057]FIG. 17 shows a basic composition of a movable loader attached toan automated storage/retrieval system of this invention provided to adistribution center: FIG. 17A is a general perspective view; FIG. 17B apartial perspective view; and FIG. 17C a sample display of a displaydevice.

[0058]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the movable loader of FIG. 17 forillustrating its detailed construction.

[0059]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the movable loader of FIG. 18 forillustrating its constitutive elements.

[0060]FIG. 20 gives the perspective and side views of a ladder or aconstitutive element of the movable loader of FIG. 18.

[0061]FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a part of a fall preventionmechanism of the movable loader of FIG. 18.

[0062]FIG. 22 shows the inflow steps of a distribution center to whichthis invention is applied: FIG. 22A illustrates how a transporter feedsinput; and FIG. 22B illustrates the operation taken at an inflow line,and a label for inflow goods.

[0063]FIG. 23 illustrates steps necessary for carrying goods from aninflow line to an automated storage/retrieval system of a distributioncenter to which this invention is applied: FIG. 23A illustrates aninflow line and a routing line; and FIG. 23B illustrates a transporterand an automated storage/retrieval system.

[0064]FIG. 24 illustrates how the hauler takes out or puts in goodsusing a movable loader as depicted in FIG. 17.

[0065]FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a distribution center to which thisinvention is applied, divided by functions.

[0066]FIG. 26 is a flowchart of the steps necessary for sorting goods atan inflow area of the distribution center as depicted in FIG. 25.

[0067]FIG. 27 is a block diagram for explaining the definitions of ashop group and SEQing group to which goods are assigned at the initialphase of inflow as depicted in FIG. 26.

[0068]FIG. 28 is a flowchart for illustrating the generation of datanecessary for controlling good handling in a distribution center asdepicted in FIG. 25, and the control steps based on the data.

[0069]FIG. 29 is a flowchart for illustrating the generation of datanecessary for controlling good handling in a distribution center asdepicted in FIG. 25, and the control steps based on the data.

[0070]FIG. 30 is a flowchart for illustrating the generation of datanecessary for controlling good handling in a distribution center asdepicted in FIG. 25, and the control steps based on the data.

[0071]FIG. 31 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of acontrol system of the shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0072]FIG. 32 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of acontrol system of the shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0073]FIG. 33 is a flat view of one example of a buffer control lineincorporated in the shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0074]FIG. 34 is a schematic flat view of a buffer control line based ona loop used in the shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0075]FIG. 35 is a schematic flat view of a system comprising a mainloop line and sub-loop lines incorporated in a buffer control line ofthe shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0076]FIG. 36 is a schematic flat view of one example of the sub-loopline area as depicted in FIG. 35.

[0077]FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a variant of the sub-loop line areasas depicted in FIG. 35 in which different sub-loop areas treatrespective requirements.

[0078]FIG. 38 is a schematic flat view of an exemplary multi-layeredsub-loop line area incorporated in a buffer control line of the shipmentsorting system of this invention.

[0079]FIG. 39 is a schematic flat view of a buffer control linecomprising plural straight storage lines based on a midway return modeof the shipment sorting system of this invention.

[0080]FIG. 40 is a flat view of an exemplary distribution centerincorporating the buffer control line as depicted in FIG. 39.

[0081]FIG. 41A is a perspective view of a shoot line at a shipmentsorting area of this invention; and FIG. 41B is perspective and flatviews of a shoot line of a conventional shipment sorting area.

[0082]FIG. 42A is a perspective view of a sensor and a display deviceprovided to the exit end of a multi-layered shoot line of thisinvention; and FIG. 42B is a perspective view of a handcart used in theconventional system.

[0083]FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the route lines of a distributioncenter with a secondary sorting station representing an embodiment ofthis invention.

[0084]FIG. 44 illustrates the outline of the inflow guide line of FIG.43: FIG. 44A is a perspective view; and FIG. 44B a schematic diagram.

[0085]FIG. 45 is a perspective view for illustrating the outline of thelabeling line of FIG. 43.

[0086]FIG. 46 illustrates the outline of the primary sorting station ofFIG. 43: FIG. 46A is a perspective view and FIG. 46B a schematicdiagram.

[0087]FIG. 47 illustrates the outline of the secondary sorting stationof FIG. 43: FIG. 47A is a perspective view and FIG. 47B a schematicdiagram.

[0088]FIG. 48 is a diagram for illustrating the operation of anexemplary buffer control.

[0089]FIG. 49 illustrates the concept of another buffer control based ona loop mode.

[0090]FIG. 50 illustrates the concept of a still other buffer controlbased on a main loop/sub-loop mode.

[0091]FIG. 51 illustrates the concept of a still other buffer controlbased on a multi-stage mode.

[0092]FIG. 52 is a perspective view for illustrating the outline of theshipment sorting station of FIG. 43.

[0093]FIG. 53 is a perspective view of the exit end of a shipment shootline of FIG. 52.

[0094]FIG. 54 illustrates the general composition of an article sortingsystem representing an embodiment of this invention.

[0095]FIG. 55 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of thecontrol system of the article sorting system of FIG. 54.

[0096]FIG. 56 is a frontal view of a sorting rack of FIG. 56.

[0097]FIG. 57 illustrates the operation of the entry indicator providedto the sorting rack of FIG. 54.

[0098]FIG. 58 illustrates the operation of the direction indicatorprovided to the sorting rack of FIG. 54.

[0099]FIG. 59 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps necessary fordetermining the pattern of slots of FIG. 56.

[0100]FIG. 60 illustrates an exemplary pattern of slots (No. 1).

[0101]FIG. 61 illustrates an exemplary pattern of slots (No. 2).

[0102]FIG. 62 is a flowchart for illustrating the control steps taken bythe host computer as shown in FIG. 55.

[0103]FIG. 63 is a flowchart for illustrating the control steps taken bya computer terminal provided to each sorting line.

[0104]FIG. 64 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps taken by a hostcomputer for monitoring the progress of the work.

[0105]FIG. 65 illustrates the overall composition of an article sortingsystem representing a seventh embodiment of this invention.

[0106]FIG. 66 is a block diagram to illustrate the composition of thecontrol system of the article sorting system of FIG. 65.

[0107]FIG. 67 is a flowchart of the steps taken by a host computer fordetermining the end of hauling for a given container.

[0108]FIG. 68 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps taken by a PCterminal provided to each sorting line.

[0109]FIG. 69 illustrates the overall composition of an article sortingsystem representing an eighth embodiment of this invention.

[0110]FIG. 70 is a block diagram for illustrating another composition ofthe control system of an article sorting system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0111] The embodiments of this invention will be described below withreference to the attached figures.

First Embodiment

[0112]FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a part of a system for sortingcommercial goods representing a first embodiment according to thisinvention. FIG. 1 shows a part of a sorting rack 101, or a component ofa good sorting system installed at a sorting area. In this embodiment, arack 101 with two layers includes eleven foldable resin-made containers103 on the upper layer and twelve same containers on the lower layer.Thus, the containers total twenty-three each of which is provided withan entry slot 102.

[0113] Twelve entry slots 102 on the left side from the centerconstitutes a block assigned to one sorter while the eleven entry slotson the right side including one at the center constitutes another blockassigned to another sorter. Groups of goods delivered are handled by thetwo sorters in a tandem manner. On the lower layer of the rack there isfixed a barcode scanner 106.

[0114]FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing for illustrating how goods aredelivered to a sorting rack. As shown in the figure, a group of goods105 are transferred from a distribution line through a belt conveyor 104to a sorting rack 101. A barcode scanner 106 reads the data necessaryfor sorting from the good 105 thus transferred.

[0115] In this embodiment, plural goods the same in kind are transferredwhile being put in a tray, and the data for sorting printed on a labelattached to the tray is read, and an entry slot determined appropriatelyaccording to the number of goods, and their destination is transmittedto a controller 107 provided at the center of the upper layer (see FIG.1).

[0116] Each entry slot 102 has an entry indicator 109 (see FIG. 1) atits upper or lower edge. The controller 107 controls by way of a controlsignal the entry indicators 109 such that their indication lamps areswitched on and their number indicators give the number of goods to bereceived. Thus, the entry indicator 109 of a slot which is to receivegoods indicates the slot 102, and the number of goods to receive throughthe slot 102.

[0117]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for illustrating how a directionindicator provided to each sorting block indicates a direction towards anominated entry. As shown in the figure, to each of the two blocksassigned to the left and right sides of the rack, a direction indicator108 is mounted on the partition of the two layers of rack 101.

[0118] The direction indicator 108 indicates by an arrow the location ofa slot 102 which is nominated by the controller 107 (see FIG. 1). Thecontroller 107 can control the direction indicator 108 in conjunctionwith the indication lamp of the relevant entry indicator.

[0119] FIGS. 4 to 6 are schematic diagrams for illustrating how theentry indicator provided to each slot indicates the location of the slotto receive goods, and the number of goods.

[0120] In FIG. 4, the indication lamp 110 gives a red light while thenumber indicator 112 gives a number (six in this particular example).Incidentally, a tray usually carries plural goods.

[0121] Therefore, if goods transferred at the same time must bedelivered to different slots 102, the indication lamps of the relevantslots 102 give red lights in a sequential order to instruct the sorterthe order of delivery.

[0122] On both sides of each slot 102 of rack 101, there is provided apair of infra-red beam (IF) sensor 114 (see FIG. 1). This beam sensor114 detects the entry of goods through the slot into the container, orpassage of the operator's hand through the slot. The detection signal istransmitted to the controller 107.

[0123] If goods are properly entered, the controller 107 delivers acontrol signal to cause the indication lamp 110 to give a green light asshown in FIG. 5.

[0124] If a good is improperly entered, the controller 107 delivers acontrol signal to cause the indication lamp 110 to give a blinkingyellow light, as well as to activate a buzzer (not illustrated here) togive an alarming sound as shown in FIG. 6. Then, the sorter pushes acheck button 111 beside the indication lamp 110 to stop the blinking ofthe indication lamp 110 and the buzzer, and delivers the good into aright slot.

[0125]FIG. 7 is a flowchart indicating the steps taken by a system fordistributing goods to a sorting rack as shown in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 7, when the sorter has completely sorted goods assigned to hisblock, he pushes a label printing button 113 (see FIG. 4) on the rightend of entry indicator 109, thereby causing a label printer 115 (seeFIG. 1) below the controller 107 to print a label printing an inventorywhich will be sent to the purchaser together with the goods.

[0126] Printing of the inventory label is made only after all the goodshave been delivered through a slot 102 into a container 103. Thus, aslong as goods remain that are to be delivered into the slot, sorting ofgoods continues.

[0127] With the system for distributing commercial goods according tothis invention, a direction indicator provided to each sorting blockindicates the location of a slot to receive next goods, in contrast withthe conventional system where an entry indicator is provided at eachslot, and thus the sorter must scan the entire rack surface to spot anindicated slot. This arrangement allows the sorter to easily spot anactivated slot and to timely deliver goods to the slot, which willimprove the efficiency of sorting works.

[0128] If a burden imposed on the sorter is reduced, it will greatlyreduce the likeliness of goods being delivered into wrong containers.

[0129] Moreover, this system alarms the sorter by emitting a buzzingsound or by causing a lamp of an alarming color to blink, if a sensordetects a good is delivered to a wrong slot. Through this arrangement,it becomes possible to greatly reduce the incidence of wrongly deliveredgoods.

Second Embodiment

[0130]FIG. 8 is a plan view of an inflow management system representinga second embodiment of this invention, to illustrate its composition. Asshown in the figure, this system comprises the following: four inflowlines L1 to L4 on which providers put goods; a first conveyor 202 toreceive goods from the inflow lines L1 to L4 and to carry them to a nextstep; a sorter 205 to sort goods transported via conveyor 202 accordingto their destinations; second conveyors 203 provided to respectivedestinations; and a line 206 for sticking inflow labels to inflow goods.

[0131] Each of lines L1 to L4 is provided with an inflow conveyor 201, acomputer terminal (PC terminal hereinafter) 211 to manage inflow goods,a scanner 212 to read a barcode printed on the label of each inflow goodencoded according to JAN, ITF or SCM (shipping carton marking), a labelprinting device 213 to print the data informing the purchaser and theprevious sale of each good on a label, article sensors 221 to 225 todetect whether any article is present on conveyor 201 or not, and afeeder 204 to transfer inflow goods from the inflow conveyor 201 to thefirst conveyor 202.

[0132] In the figure, a commercial good 210 is in the form of a unit ofgoods (a unit for management), such as a cardboard box or a containercontaining one or more goods (to be simply referred to as “commercialgood or good 210” hereinafter).

[0133] The first conveyor 202 has midway a scanner 232 to read thebarcode on the label of each good carried to the conveyor 202, a sortercontroller 233 to control the sorter 205 according to the informationread from the barcode, and a sorter control terminal 231 to control thesorter controller 233.

[0134] To the sorter 205 are connected the following: a conveyor 203 amoving towards a storage area I; a conveyor 203 b moving towards astorage area II; a conveyor 203 c moving towards a line where goods aresorted by pieces; a conveyor 203 d moving towards a sorter for shipmentwhere goods are sorted for shipment; a conveyor 203 e moving towards atemporary storage area; and a line 206 where labels are newly stuck toinflow goods.

[0135] A good guided to the sorter 205 is introduced into either one ofconveyors 203 a to 203 e or inflow label sticking line 206, under thecontrol of sorter controller 233.

[0136] The inflow label sticking line 206 is provided, in addition to afeeder 271, with three label sticking sections each comprising a PCterminal 241, a scanner 242 and a label printing device 243, each of thelabel sticking sections being operated by a label sticker (P1, P2 orP3).

[0137] To the inflow label sticking line 206 are carried goods whosebarcodes could not fully deciphered by the scanner 232, and the goodsare temporarily stopped at feeder 271. Then, the goods are sent one byone to the label stickers P1 to P3, under the control of feedercontroller 272 (see FIG. 9).

[0138] At each label sticking section, label sticker P1, P2 or P3applies the scanner 242 directly to the label of a good contained in acarton, by opening the carton; the scanner 242 reads the JAN code there;and then the PC terminal 241 instructs the label printing device 243 toprint an SCM label indicating the destination of the good.

[0139] The good whose barcode has been properly read is placed again inthe carton, and the newly printed label is stuck on the carton. Theother end of the inflow label sticking line 206 is connected to inflowline L1, and thus the newly labeled carton enters inflow line L1.

[0140] With this system, if a good 210 is provided to the left end ofinflow conveyor 201 (left end of the figure), it is carried rightward,and temporarily stopped at the feeder 204. The feeder 204 is placedunder the control of an order control unit 227 as will be describedlater (see FIG. 9), and, in response to control signals from the ordercontrol unit 227, guides goods one by one to the first conveyor 202.

[0141]FIG. 9 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of acontrol system to control the system depicted in FIG. 8. As shown in thefigure, the PC terminals 211 of inflow lines L1 to L4 are connected to aPOR (Point of Receiving) sever 214, and thus receive necessary data fromthe POR server 214, and transmit information about inflow goods to thePOR sever 214.

[0142] POR server 214 stores in its memory ASN (Advanced ShippingNotice) data, and, in response to a request from the PC terminal 211,transmits a part of the data to the PC terminal 211. In this embodiment,the POR server prepares a merchandise information table based onaccumulated such ASN data.

[0143] The article sensors 221 to 225 arranged along inflow lines L1 toL4 are connected to the order control unit 227. The order control unit227 drives the feeder 204 in accordance with outputs from the articlesensors 221 to 225, thereby controlling the entry of goods carried viainflow conveyors 201 into the first conveyor 202.

[0144] As long as based on FIG. 9, only one set of article sensors 221to 225, and feeder 204 are connected to the order control unit 227, but,in reality, the article sensors 221 to 225, and feeder 204 provided toinflow lines L1 to L4 are all connected to the order control unit 227.

[0145] A feeder control terminal 226 is connected to the sorter controlterminal 231 and to the POR server 214, as well as to the order controlunit 227. The feeder control terminal 226 practices a control operationas shown in FIG. 12 as will be described later.

[0146] The sorter controller 233 is connected to the sorter 205, andcontrols the sorter 205 such that it may guide a good carried via thefirst conveyor 202 to any one of second conveyors 203 a to 203 d asappropriate according to the information recorded in the destinationlabel of the good.

[0147] The sorter control terminal 231 is connected to POR server 214and feeder control terminal 226, and practices a control operation asshown in FIG. 13 as will be described later.

[0148] Each of the PC terminals 241 arranged along the inflow labelsticking line 206 is connected to POR server 214, practices a controloperation as shown in FIG. 14 as will be described later, reads the JANcode attached to a good using a scanner 242, receives data related withthe good from POR server 214, and prints a label carrying necessaryinformation.

[0149] The feeder 271 jointed to the inflow label sticking line 206 isconnected to the feeder controller 272, and operates under the controlof the feeder controller 272. The feeder controller 272 is connected toPOR server 214, sorter control terminal 231, etc.

[0150]FIGS. 10 and 11 give flowcharts showing the steps (initial andfinal segments) the PC terminal 211 take for practicing a processingassigned to it. At step S211, PC terminal 211 causes a display device(not illustrated here) to present a list of providers who are going toprovide goods. This display device has a touch-panel based input devicewhereby it is possible to feed input through a touch panel (pressuresensor) provided to the display, and thus it is possible for a providerto feed his name (company's name) into the PC terminal 211 when he putshis goods onto the inflow line.

[0151] At the next step S212, PC terminal 211 waits input as given by aprovider who touches the touch panel by his finger. When PC terminal 211detects input, it notes the name of the provider (step S213). Then, itrequests the ASN (Advanced Shipping Notice) data of that provider fromPOR server 214, and when it receives the data, it stores it in itsmemory (step S214).

[0152] When the goods are put on the inflow conveyor, PC terminal 211reads the barcode on labels attached to the goods with scanner 212 (stepS215), and checks whether the code is rightly read or not (step S216).

[0153] When PC terminal 211 finds the code is not rightly read, itadvances to step S231 (FIG. 11). When PC terminal 211 finds the code isrightly read, it determines whether the code is a SCM code (code printedon an SCM label), or a JAN code or an ITF code (steps S217 and S218).When PC terminal 211 finds the code is not any one of the above codes,it advances to step S231.

[0154] When PC terminal 211 finds the code is an SCM code, it advancesthrough steps S218 and S219 to step S220 at which it extracts, from theASN data, information regarding the handling of the goods (to be storedor immediately shipped or to be further sorted).

[0155] Next, PC terminal 211 adds the number of inflow goods to the ASNdata (step S221). This processing consists, for example, of subtractingthe number of inflow goods from the number of goods to be received forthat day, and of adding the same number to the number of goods havingbeen received on that day. On completion of the processing required forstep S221, PC terminal 211 advances to step S232 (FIG. 11).

[0156] If PC terminal 211 finds the code is a JAN code or an ITF code,it advances from step S219 to step S222 at which it recognizes how tohandle the goods, and adds necessary data to existent data as in stepsS220 and S221 (steps S223 and S224).

[0157] Next, PC terminal 211 determines whether an SCM label should beprinted or not. If it finds an SCM label should be printed, it instructsthe label printing device 213 to print an SCM label (step S226), andadvances to step S232. Alternatively, if it finds an SCM label need notbe printed, it advances through step S225 to step S233 (FIG. 11).

[0158] At step S231, PC terminal 211 provides, to individual goodsdetected (goods 210 in FIG. 8), sequential numbers (“SEQ Nos.”hereinafter) which are related with the codes of the vendors who havesent those goods, that is, the codes to serve as ID numbers of thosevendors. Then, PC terminal 211 sends the vendor codes, SEQ Nos., andother necessary data to the feeder control terminal 226 and POR server214.

[0159] The SEQ Nos. are given to individual goods to serve as their IDsthereby facilitating the management of those goods, in case the samegoods might be provided by different vendors, and some of the vendorsmight provide other goods, in addition to the goods here concerned.

[0160] At step S232, PC terminal 211 also gives, to individual goods,SEQ Nos. which are related with their vendor codes and SCM codes, andsends the SEQ Nos. as well as the vendor codes and SCM codes and othernecessary data, to the feeder control terminal 226 and POR server 214.

[0161] At step 233, PC terminal 211 gives, to individual goods, SEQ Nos.related with their JAN codes or ITF codes, and sends the SEQ Nos. aswell as the vendor codes, JAN codes or ITF codes, and other necessarydata to the feeder control terminal 226 and POR server 214.

[0162] In the subsequent step S234, PC terminal 211 determines whethernew inflow labels should be given to newly flowed-in goods. If itdetermines new inflow labels should be given, it instructs the labelprinting device 213 to print inflow labels (step S235).

[0163] The inflow label includes data in the form of characters,barcodes or two-dimensional codes such as a storage area in which thegood is to be stored, a storage location (address within the storagearea), the date of production, the date of inflow, the expiration datefor outflow, the shelf-life, etc. Sticking the labels to goods willfacilitate the management of the goods: the good will be shipped withinthe expiration date or a first-come first-out rule will be safelyobserved.

[0164] If goods receive SCM labels or inflow labels from theirproviders, PC terminal 211 will not perform a renewed printing of inflowlabels for them. If a good should be sorted by pieces, PC terminal 211will guide it to the conveyor 202, instead of printing a label for it,thereby preventing the scanner 232 from reading the barcode of the good,and allowing the sorter 205 to pass the good to the inflow labelsticking line.

[0165] At a subsequent step S236, PC terminal 211 checks whether anygoods should be further provided by the same provider or not, and itfinds there are any goods left to come, it will return to step S211. Onthe contrary, if it finds there is no good left, it will instruct thelabel printing device 213 to print a supply certificate indicating thatthe provider has securely provided all the necessary goods for the day(step S237), to complete the processing for that provider.

[0166] As shown above, this embodiment incorporates an input feedingmeans by which the provider can feed his name to PC terminal 211 when heputs goods to the inflow line, thereby enabling PC terminal 211 toidentify the provider as well as to note the properties and numbers ofgoods. Through this arrangement it becomes possible to easily andefficiently manage goods according to their providers by only resortingto general-purpose JAN codes or ITF codes attached to the goods, insteadof depending on the barcodes specifically provided for the management ofinflow goods.

[0167] Moreover, with this embodiment, the display device integral witha touch panel gives a list of providers which are scheduled to providegoods for the day; and a provider, when he puts goods on the inflowline, touches his name on the list through the touch panel, therebyentering his name to PC terminal 211. This arrangement makes it possiblethat the provider can easily feed his name to the computer, thus beingrelieved of the burden which would be otherwise inflicted upon him, andthat need for personnel to receive inflow goods can be safely obviated,which will contribute to a reduction of cost.

[0168] Further, each time a provider has finished providing a series ofgoods required for the day, PC terminal 211 automatically prints asupply certificate for him. This makes it possible to obviate the needfor personnel for the printing work, which will contribute to a furtherreduction of cost.

[0169] For the embodiment as depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, the SCM labeland the inflow label serve as a label carrying the destinationinformation.

[0170]FIG. 12 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby the feeder control terminal 226. As shown in the figure, at stepS241, the feeder control terminal 226 determines, based on the outputsprovided by the article sensors 221 to 225 of each inflow line, whichinflow line (LMAX) receives the largest number of goods 210 on itsconveyor (LMAX is either one of L1 to L4, and in the example shown inFIG. 8, L4 is LMAX).

[0171] Next, the feeder control terminal 226 transmits the SEQ No. (andthe vendor code) of a good 210 at the forefront of LMAX thus determined(to be handled next), to the sorter control terminal 231 (step S242);activates the feeder 204 of LMAX via the order control unit 227; andguides the good 210 to the first conveyor 202 (step S243).

[0172] Through the operation exercised at step S242, the sorter controlterminal 231 can note in advance the SEQ No. (and vendor code) of thegood just entering into the first conveyor 202.

[0173] At the end of the above processing, the feeder control terminal226 checks whether all the lines are devoid of goods or not, and as longas the answer is not zero (NO), it returns to step S241, and repeats thesame processing until the answer is zero (YES).

[0174] As seen from above, with this embodiment, goods from differentlines are guided to the first conveyor 202 in order of the congestedstate of the line through which the good pass, and thus the number ofgoods on each inflow line 201 is averaged. This arrangement makes itpossible to avoid a situation which might otherwise result, that is, asituation where some of plural inflow lines are so much congested withgoods as to block the entry of new goods to those lines. This willimprove the efficiency of handing inflow goods.

[0175]FIG. 13 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby the sorter control terminal. As shown in the figure, at step S251,the sorter control terminal waits input from the scanner 232. When itreceives the input, it identifies the destination of a good from theinformation contained in the label stuck to the good (step S252).

[0176] With this embodiment, the sorter control terminal determines thedestination of the good, that is, which one of the following the goodshould be carried to: storage areas I and II, a sorting area where thegood is sorted by pieces, a sorting area for shipment, and a temporarystorage area (see FIG. 8). If the sorter control terminal fails to readnecessary information, it will transmits the SEQ No. (and the vendorcode) of that good 210 to POR server 214 (step S254).

[0177] Even if the sorter control terminal fails to read necessaryinformation from the label of a good, it can identify the good becauseit has received the SEQ No. of the good from the feeder control terminal226.

[0178] Next, the sorter control terminal controls the sorter 205 via thesorter controller 233 in such a way as to guide a good to the secondconveyor 203 a if the good is to be carried to storage area I; to thesecond conveyor 203 b if the good is to be carried to storage area II;to the second conveyor 203 c if the good is to be carried to the sortingarea for piecemeal sorting; to the second conveyor 203 d if the good isto be carried to the sorting area for shipment; to the second conveyor203 e if the good is to be carried to the temporary storage area; or tothe inflow label sticking line 206 if the sorter control terminal cannot determine the destination of the good (step S255).

[0179] At step S256, the sorter control terminal checks whether there isany inflow good or not, and as long as the answer is affirmative, itreturns to step S251 and repeats the same processing until it receivesan negative answer.

[0180] As seen from above, the sorter control terminal controls, throughthe processes as depicted in FIG. 13, the sorter 205 in such a way as toguide goods to appropriate conveyors 202 according to the informationcarried in the labels of those goods, which makes it possible tosmoothly distribute goods to their specified destinations.

[0181] If the sorter control terminal fails to read necessaryinformation from the label of a good, it will guide the good to theinflow label sticking line 206 so that the good may receive a new labelthere. Therefore, even if a good whose case does not bear any code suchas JAN code, ITF code or SCM code, the good will be safely received andhandled by this system.

[0182]FIG. 14 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby a PC terminal 241 arranged along the inflow label sticking line. Asshown in the figure, at step S261, the label sticker P1, P2 or P3 feeds,using a scanner 242, the JAN code of a good contained in a case to thePC terminal 241. Then, PC terminal 241 requests the data of the goodfrom POR server by sending that JAN code to the latter, and receives thedata (step S262).

[0183] When PC terminal 241 identifies, from the data, the name of thegood, the name of the provider (company's name), the good beingscheduled to be provided for the day, etc., it causes an inflow label tobe printed as at step S235 of

[0184]FIG. 11 (steps S263, S264 and S265).

[0185] Next, on completion of the printing of the label, PC terminal 241transmits a label printing end signal to the feeder controller 272 (stepS269).

[0186] Then, the label sticker P1, P2 or P3 puts the good in a case suchas a container, sticks the label to the container, and guides thecontainer to the inflow line L1 (step S266). PC terminal 241 advances tostep S268.

[0187] If at step S264 the PC terminal 241 can not obtain sufficientdata, it instructs a terminal display to display a failure (step S267),and advances to step S268. At step S268, PC terminal 241 checks whetherinflow of goods is completed for the day or not, and as long as it findsinflow of goods continues, it returns to step S261 and repeats the sameprocessing until it finds inflow of goods is completed for the day.

[0188] As seen from above, even if a good is contained in a casecarrying an illegible label, the label sticker P1, P2 or P3 takes out apiece of the good from the case, and feeds its JAN code to PC terminal241 which then causes a new inflow label to be printed so that the labelmay be stuck to the case. This makes it possible to smoothly handle agood contained in a case carrying an illegible label. Therefore, goodscontained in cases carrying illegible labels will be safely received andhandled by this system.

[0189] Incidentally, with this system, it is possible, even if a goodcarries no ITF code, to identify the provider of the good from its SEQNo. The goods requiring renewed labeling are mainly composed ofpiecemeal assorted goods, and such goods are put anew in containersproperly labeled, guided to an inflow line, and carried through thesorter 205 to the conveyor 203 c leading to the sorting area forpiecemeal sorting.

[0190]FIG. 15 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing practicedby the feeder controller while FIG. 16 illustrates the processingpracticed by the feeder controller. The processing which proceedsthrough the steps as shown in FIG. 15 will be described by means of anexample as depicted in FIG. 16 where goods having SEQ Nos. 1 to 8 arecarried to the feeder 271.

[0191] At step S271, the feeder controller instructs the feeder 271 toreceive goods having SEQ Nos. 1 to 3 as shown in FIG. 16A. Then, thefeeder controller receives the number of goods entering the sorter 205from the sorter control terminal 231 (step S272), and, in accordancewith the number of goods received, it distributes goods to PC terminalssuch that the good having the smallest SEQ No. is assigned to the PCterminal situated at the leftist or at the most downstream of the line(step S273).

[0192] To put it more specifically, the feeder controller assigns thegoods having SEQ Nos. 1, 4 and 7 to the PC terminal at the mostdownstream of the line (operated by P1), those having SEQ Nos. 2, 5 and8 to the PC terminal at the next downstream of the line (operated byP2), and those having SEQ Nos. 3 and 6 to the PC terminal at the mostupstream of the line (operated by P3).

[0193] Through this operation, as shown in FIG. 16B, the goods havingSEQ Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are moved to the label stickers P1, P2 and P3respectively, and then new labels are printed and stuck to the goods. Oncompletion of the printing of the label, each PC terminal transmits aninflow label printing end signal to the feeder controller (step S274).The feeder controller waits until it receives label printing end signalsfrom all the PC terminals (step S275), and after confirming it hasreceived label printing end signals from all the PC terminals, it checkswhether there are any goods that newly enter the feeder (step S276).

[0194] In the example as illustrated in FIG. 16, the feeder controller,finding there are still goods with SEQ Nos. 4 to 8 left, returns to stepS271, and drives the feeder 271 again so that the goods of SEQ Nos. 4 to6 may be shifted to the label stickers P1 to P3 as shown in FIG. 16C.When it finds printing of the inflow label of the good with SEQ No. 8has been completed, it terminates the processing for the goods inquestion.

[0195] The processing as illustrated in FIG. 14 allows the labelstickers to handle goods in parallel, which will contribute to theimprovement of work efficiency.

[0196] Incidentally, this invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above, but may be modified in various manners. For example,the number of conveyors is not limited to four. The inventions asclaimed in claims 10 to 16 may be based on a single inflow conveyor, andthe invention as claimed in claim 17 may be based on two or more inflowconveyors.

[0197] The number of label printing devices 213 per line may be madelarger than in the above embodiment, if the inflow frequency of goods ishigh.

[0198] In the above embodiment, article sensors 221 to 225 serve as ameans to monitor the traffic of goods on a line, but the monitoringmeans is not limited to such sensors. An alternative method may includeobtaining the number of inflow goods (nIN) from the scanner 212 and thenumber of goods exiting from the feeder 204 (nOUT), and then calculatingthe difference (nIN—nOUT) to find the number of goods currently on theline.

[0199] The above embodiment incorporates three label printing devicesalong the inflow label sticking line, but the number of label printingdevices is not limited to three.

[0200] As has been detailed above, according to the invention asdescribed in claim 10 wherein, for each inflow good, the name of itsprovider, and its property and number can be identified from the outputprovided by a means for reading information necessary for goodidentification; and otherwise the provider of a good may feed theinformation necessary for good identification so as to allow the name ofthe provider as well as the property and number of the good to beidentified, it is possible to efficiently manage inflow goods accordingto their providers simply based on the codes generally attached to goodssuch as JAN codes or ITF codes.

[0201] According to the invention as described in claim 11 wherein aninput means composed of a display device combined with a touchpanel-based input device gives a list of providers on display; and aprovider of a good can feed his ID information by simply touching hisname on the list, it is possible to relieve the provider of the burdenwhich would otherwise be inflicted on him, to obviate the need forpersonnel who would otherwise be required for the reception of inflowgoods, and thus to reduce cost.

[0202] According to the invention as described in claim 12 wherein anidentification number is given to each management unit of the samegoods, according to the identification information of its provider, andinflow goods are managed based on the identification information oftheir providers and the identification numbers given to them, it ispossible to accurately manage goods based on the data of theirmanagement units, even when the same goods are provided by differentproviders at the same period, or when different management units of thesame goods are provided by a single provider.

[0203] According to the invention as described in claim 13 wherein thedestination of a good is determined according to the good identificationinformation provided by a means for reading good identificationinformation, and a label carrying the destination information is printedbased on the determination, it is possible to smoothly carry the goodprovided with the label to the steps subsequent to the inflow check.

[0204] According to the invention as described in claim 14 wherein asupply certificate is automatically published for every scheduled inputof goods, it is possible to obviate the need for personnel who wouldotherwise be required for the work, and to further reduce cost.

[0205] According to the invention as described in claim 15 wherein, forinflow goods on a conveyor, their destination information is read fromthe labels attached to them, and a sorting machine is controlledaccording to the destination information on the labels, it is possibleto smoothly distribute the goods to their specified destinations.

[0206] According to the invention as described in claim 16 wherein, ifthere are any goods whose destinations remain undecipherable, they areguided to an inflow label sticking line where they have new inflowlabels printed and stuck, it is possible to manage the goods based onthose newly stuck labels. Accordingly, even if a good whose case has nolabel (or good which is so packed as to disable the deciphering of thecode on the label) enters a line, the good will be easily managed. Thus,the system will safely receive and handle such goods.

[0207] According to the invention as described in claim 17 wherein aplurality of label stickers can work at their respective inflow labelsticking sections in parallel, it is possible to improve the workefficiency.

[0208] According to the invention as described in claim 18 wherein goodsare transferred from inflow conveyors to an intermediary conveyor with apriority on the congested state of the inflow lines through which thegoods are carried, the congested state of each inflow line beingconstantly monitored based on the output provided by a monitoring meansto follow the current number of goods at that inflow line, it ispossible to average the number of goods on each inflow line, and toavoid a situation where some of the inflow lines are so much congestedwith goods as to block the entry of new goods to those lines, therebyimproving the efficiency of handing inflow goods.

Third Embodiment

[0209]FIG. 17 shows a basic composition of a movable loader attached toan automated storage/retrieval system of this invention provided to adistribution center: FIG. 17A is a general perspective view; FIG. 17B apartial perspective view; and FIG. 17C a sample display of a displaydevice.

[0210] As shown in the figure, the automated storage/retrieval system310 is provided with stacker cranes (not illustrated here) automaticallymoving between the adjacent arrays of multiple storage racks 311. Apick-up conveyor 312 is installed between each pair of adjacent racks inparallel with their longitudinal axes, and movable loaders 313 of thisinvention are installed at a space between a row of storage racks 311and a pick-up conveyor 312.

[0211] The movable loader 313 may be installed at both sides of aconveyor 312, but in the figure a movable loader 313 is installed at oneside of a pick-up conveyor 312 for illustration. A plurality of movableloaders 313 may be installed on one side of a conveyor 312 in parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the conveyor with an appropriate intervalinserted between adjacent loaders.

[0212] The movable loader 313 mainly consists of a platform 314 andsupports 315, and moves on rails 316. The platform has many roundrotational bodies such as steel balls embedded on its upper surface suchthat only the upper portions of the balls protrude from the surface tobe freely rotational in their seats. On one side of the platform 314which runs in a direction normal to the direction of movement stands apillar on the top of which there is provided a display 318 to serve as aterminal of a computer. On the opposite side of the platform 314 thereis provided a handle 319.

[0213] With respect to a basic movable loader 313, the platform 314rests on four supports 315 integrally jointed with it: two supports areon the side close to a row of racks 311 and the other two supports onthe side close to a conveyor 312. The four supports 315 have on theirlowest ends wheels 320 through which they contact with rails 316 so thatthey may run on the rails.

[0214] The platform 314 may have only two supports 315 on the side closeto a row of racks 311, and those on the side close to a conveyor 312 maybe substituted for some movable means that is movably supported on theframe 312 a of the conveyor (see FIG. 17B).

[0215] That movable means may comprise, for example, a mechanismattached to the side of platform 314 so as to be placed on a guide railmounted to the frame 312 a to slide over the latter, or a sliderconsisting of rollers or balls attached to the side of platform 314 soas to slide along the frame 312 a.

[0216] Alternatively, in stead of weight-bearing rails 316, a pair ofguide rails to support the load on their inner sides may be introduced,and guide wheels 316 b attached horizontally to the lowest ends ofsupports 315 may be engaged with the inner sides of the guide rails tomove along the latter as shown in FIG. 17A.

[0217] As seen from above, because the platform 314 rests on thesupports 315, the hauler can easily push or pull the platform 314 usingthe handle 319, and by so doing move it along the pick-up conveyor 312.

[0218] The upper surface of platform 314 is positioned horizontal orslightly inclined toward the conveyor 312 so that it may be nearly flushwith the upper surface of pick-up conveyor 312. This arrangement willmake it possible for a good A hauled out from a rack to be transferredin the presence of a weak force or of its own weight to the pick-upconveyor 312.

[0219] In this embodiment, the rotational bodies 317 are steel balls,and they are embedded rotationally in the substance of platform 314 suchthat their upper portions protrude from the surface of platform 314.However, the rotational body is not limited to a ball, and cylindricalrollers may be embedded rotationally such that only their upper portionsare exposed.

[0220] Alternatively, the side of platform 314 close to a pick-upconveyor 312 may be wider than the opposite one as indicated by thetwo-dot dash line of FIG. 17B. This arrangement will make it possiblefor the hauler to haul goods in the direction towards which the conveyormoves, which will smoothen the hauling of goods.

[0221] The display device 318 to serve as a terminal of a computerreceives, via SS wireless communication on a real time basis, thepick-up data of each line from a host computer, and displays them on thescreen. FIG. 17C is a sample display which presents the location of agood, the name of the good, the total picked up number of the good, etc.

[0222] The display device 318 is provided with an infra-red ray sensoror a laser sensor 329 whereby it is possible to detect the presence of apicked-up good, to count the total number of picked-up goods, and topresent the number of currently picked-up goods on display as shown inFIG. 17B. Further, a scanner may be attached to the platform 314 so thatit may be used for reading the barcode of a good to present the datarepresented by the barcode on display.

[0223] The sensor and scanner are integrally installed in the platform314 or in the display device 318 so that the sensor, when excited, mayactivate the scanner, thereby enabling the counting and checking ofpicked-up goods.

[0224] Alternatively, the sensor may be installed in the display device318, while the scanner fixed separately from the display device, andcounting and checking of picked-up goods achieved in the manner asmentioned above.

[0225] Alternatively, the scanner may not be employed, and only thesensor used for counting picked-up goods.

[0226]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the movable loader of FIG. 17 forillustrating its detailed construction. FIG. 19 is a perspective view ofthe movable loader of FIG. 18 for illustrating its constitutiveelements. FIG. 20 gives the perspective and side views of a ladder or aconstitutive element of the movable loader of FIG. 18. FIG. 21 is aperspective view of a part of a fall prevention mechanism of the movableloader of FIG. 18.

[0227] The movable loader 313 as shown in FIGS. 18 to 21 has foursupports as its basic structure; the four supports 315 can vary theirlengths vertically, thereby making it possible to adjust the height ofthe platform 314; and thus the hauler on the platform can easily reach agood A on an upper shelf of a storage rack. The loader also has a ladder321 which allows the adjustment of its height, and thus the hauler caneasily reach goods even when the platform is kept high.

[0228] The storage rack 311 has a horizontal guide rail 322; theplatform 314 has a fall prevention mechanism 323 which is detachably andfreely movably jointed to the horizontal guide rail 322; and thus themovable loader 313 is safely prevented from falling during movement andduring rest at which hauling works proceed. The platform 314 has ahandle 324 which can stand upright to be grasped when in use, or liehorizontally when not in use.

[0229] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the support 315 consists of acylindrical portion 315 a of a specified length and a sliding member 315b whose lowest end is movably inserted into the cylindrical portion 315a; the upper ends of the sliding members 315 b are fixed on the lowersurface of the platform 314; and the sliding members 315 b are slidvertically by an actuator (not illustrated here).

[0230] The lowest ends of the cylindrical portions 315 a are connectedwith horizontal joining members 315 c so that the rigidity of thestructure may be enhanced. The wheels 320 may be mounted to thehorizontal joining members 315 c.

[0231] The actuator may be based on a hydraulic cylinder, an aircylinder or a motor-driven screw rod. For example, the support 315 maybe constituted of a piston rod inserted into a cylindrical tube.

[0232] The horizontal joining member 315 c joining the supports 315 hasa pedal 325; and the hauler can activate the actuator by way of thepedal 325, thereby adjusting the height of the platform 314 to a desiredlevel.

[0233] As shown in FIG. 18, the ladder 321 is constituted of bases 321 aand sliding portions 321 b so that its length may be freely varied incorrespondence with the height of the platform. This extendable ladder321 may be substituted for a common ladder of this type that consists ofbases 321 a and sliding members 321 b which slide along the guide railsattached to the bases 321 a.

[0234] The upper ends of sliding members 321 b may be rotationallyattached to the lower surface of platform 314 via a horizontal rod, ormay be rotationally attached, via hooks, to a horizontal joining member315 d which is jointed to the mid-portions of the sliding members 315 bof supports 315 as shown in FIG. 20.

[0235] Regardless of whether the ladder 321 extends or contracts withthe vertical movement of the platform 314, the ladder will form a slopeagainst the floor, and contact through rubber inserted at its foots 321c with the floor for firm fixation.

[0236] To reach a good on a high place, the hauler climbs the ladder321, and carries out necessary operations on the ladder. If the haulerwants to stabilize his stance more firmly, he may use a step 326 asdepicted in FIG. 20C. The step 326 may be jointed through an extendablelink 327 to a vertical frame of the ladder 321 and fixed via a pin tothe latter so that the step may be pulled flat for stepping on or foldedback for storage.

[0237] The fall prevention mechanism 323 consists of a body 323 a, and aroller 323 b rotationally fixed to the top end of the body as shown inFIG. 21 and generally takes a hooklike form; and the body 323 a has itsbase end being rotationally fixed to a horizontal pin 323 c attached tothe side of platform 314 such that the body 323 a turns, about thehorizontal pin 323 c, in a vertical plane towards a nearby storage rack311.

[0238] When the mechanism 323 is turned round towards a horizontal guiderail 322 stretched close to a nearby storage rack, thereby bringing theroller 323 into intimate contact with the rail 322, the movable loaderis safely prevented from falling; the roller 323 c rolls under theguidance of the horizontal rail 322; and thus the movable loader 313smoothly moves while being safely protected against fall.

[0239] However, although the horizontal guide rail 322 has a constantheight, the platform 314 may vary its height. Thus, for the fallprevention mechanism 323 to securely engage with the horizontal rail322, it must be vertically movably attached to the platform. To achievethis, a guide member 328 is provided to the platform 314 as shown inFIG. 21B, and the body 323a has its base end fixed vertically movably tothis guide member 328.

[0240] This arrangement makes it possible for the fall preventionmechanism 323 to be always engaged with the horizontal guide rail 322 nomatter what height the platform 314 may take. The fall preventionmechanism 323 may be fixed to the cylindrical portion 315a of a support315. In this case, the guide member 328 can be dispensed with.

[0241] The handle 324 consists of a bar 324 a and a grip 324 b as shownin FIG. 19B; and the bar has its base end being rotationally fixed to ahorizontal pin 324 c attached to the side of platform 314 such that thebar 324 a rotates, about the horizontal pin 324 c, in a vertical plane.

[0242] If turned round 90°, the handle 324 rests along the side end ofplatform 314 so that it may not disturb the movement of goods taken outor put on the platform 314. If turned round 90° in the oppositedirection, the handle 324 stands upright and the hauler can easily movethe movable loader in parallel with a conveyor by using the handle.

[0243] It should be noted that the handle 324 has stoppers (notillustrated here) to set it in place to be at rest or upright.

[0244] Processes necessary for storing goods in the automatedstoring/retrieval system configured as above and for picking up goodsfrom the same system will be described below, with attention beingfocused on the handling of goods contained in cartons.

[0245]FIG. 22 shows the inflow steps of a distribution center to whichthis invention is applied: FIG. 22A illustrates how a transporter feedsinput; and FIG. 22B illustrates the operation taken at an inflow line,and a label for inflow goods. FIG. 23 illustrates steps necessary forcarrying goods from an inflow line to an automated storage/retrievalsystem of a distribution center to which this invention is applied: FIG.23A illustrates an inflow line and a routing line; and FIG. 23Billustrates a transporter and an automated storage/retrieval system.FIG. 24 illustrates how the hauler takes out or puts in goods using amovable loader as depicted in FIG. 17. FIG. 25 is a block diagram of adistribution center to which this invention is applied, divided byfunctions.

[0246] 1) Inflow goods placed on palettes and received at an entry dockare guided to inflow lines. For a given inflow good, the transporterfeeds the name of vendor, the name of manufacturer, etc., to a computerterminal 330 placed at the entry dock through the touch panel.

[0247] The data are transmitted to a POR (Point of Receiving) server,and the POR server compares the data with the corresponding ASN(Advanced Shipping Notice) data stored in its memory.

[0248] 2) Goods placed on a palette P is guided to an inflow line wherethe identification code of the palette P and the ITF (Interleaved Two ofFive) code 332 of the cartons A containing the goods are read by ascanner 333 working on SS wireless communication as shown in FIG. 22B,and the data thus read from the codes are transmitted to the POR serverwhere the data are compared with the corresponding ASN data.

[0249] When the matching of the two kinds of data is confirmed, astorage space is automatically prepared. The cartons A may receive asappropriate such an inflow label 334 as shown in FIG. 22B. This inflowlabel can contain a two-dimensional code necessary for the management ofgoods requiring freshness.

[0250] 3) Palettes P from different inflow lines are automaticallytransferred to a connecting conveyor 335 as shown in FIG. 23A. Then, thepalettes P are automatically transferred to a transporter 336 andcarried to the aisle of an automated storage/retrieval system 310 asshown in FIG. 23B. If the palette must be hauled by a fork-lifter, thepalette is placed on the transporter so that its fork receiving socketsmay face sideways, under the instruction from a fork-lifting terminal.

[0251] 4) A palette P is transferred from the transporter 336 to anautomated storage/retrieval system 310 by a stacker crane (notillustrated here), and efficiently sent to a target address based onshipment data under a free address management. The palette P isautomatically delivered to an appropriate area according to whether itsstorage will take place temporarily or permanently.

[0252] If transference of cargo is performed by a fork-lifter, the cargois stored in a location indicated on a terminal. The hauler checks therightness of the location by reading the label code of cargo with ascanner before delivering the cargo to the location.

[0253] 5) During hauling works, necessary data are delivered to thehauler through SS wireless communication on a real time basis, and thehauler can achieve necessary works based on the data presented on adisplay device 318.

[0254] Because the data as represented in FIG. 17C are automaticallypresented to the hauler in synchrony with the advancement of haulingworks at each row of racks, it is only necessary for the hauler to, forexample, haul out the amount of goods indicated on the display to anearby movable loader 313 (see FIG. 18).

[0255] Further, because data are presented for each row of racks, thehauler can move from a row to another in order together with a loader313 each time he finished one row. Furthermore, because the amount ofgoods the hauler has hauled is also presented on display, he can easilycheck whether the right amount is already hauled or not.

[0256] To inform a host computer of the completion of a required work,it is only necessary for the hauler to simply press once a check key ona computer terminal attached to the platform 314. If the hauler wants toidentify the good to be hauled, he may only apply a scanner onto the ITFcode of the carton containing that good, or directly onto the JAN (JapanArticle Number) code of the good. If the hauler wants to identify thegoods stored in a rack, he may only apply a scanner to a relevantlocation code.

[0257] Hauling consists of simply transferring, for example, a good Adown a slope of the movable loader 313 by a distance of 1.0-1.6 m atmaximum as shown in FIG. 24, and the distance the good should be handledby human hand is actually less than 1.0 m. Thus, with the system of thisinvention, it will be possible to moderate hauling works and to improvethe efficiency of the works.

[0258] A vertically adjustable movable loader 313 as depicted in FIGS.18 to 21 can be used similarly to an inclined movable loader as depictedin FIG. 17, if a good in a row rack must be hauled through the loader.If the vertically adjustable movable loader 313 is used for hauling agood in a high rack, its platform 314 is raised to a level flush withthe rack; the good is transferred to the platform; the platform islowered to a level flush with a pick-up conveyor 312; and finally thegood is transferred to the conveyor.

[0259] Use of such a vertically adjustable movable loader will ease thehauling of goods placed in racks at high levels. If the loader isfurther provided with a fall prevention mechanism 323, it will beprevented from falling even when it is raised to a high level.

[0260] The above description is mainly restricted to the hauling ofgoods contained in cartons, but hauling of boluses and pieces can besimilarly achieved. Boluses and pieces are grouped, and put by groupsinto containers carried on a pick-up conveyor 312. The containerscontaining grouped boluses or pieces are guided to a primary assortingline where the boluses or pieces receive a primary sorting; theprimarily sorted boluses or pieces are then transferred to a secondaryassorting line for a secondary sorting; and they are then shipped.

[0261] Because the system of this invention is configured as above, itensures the following advantages.

[0262] 1) Because a loader with a platform is movably placed between arow of racks and a pick-up conveyor so that goods may be transferredfrom the racks to the conveyor and vice versa, it is possible for thehauler, for transferring goods from a rack to the conveyor, to simplyhaul goods on the platform to slide towards the conveyor, and to readilymove the loader to the gateway of a desired row of racks. This willmoderate hauling works and improve the efficiency of the works.

[0263] 2) Because the platform has rotational bodies embedded on itssurface with their upper portions being exposed outside, it allows agood placed thereupon to readily move even in the presence of a weakforce or of its own weight.

[0264] 3) Because a display device of a computer terminal is mounted tothe platform, to automatically provide the hauler with data of the rowof racks he is currently engaged with, he can pursue his job easily andsecurely depending on the data presented on display.

[0265] 4) Because the movable loader consists of a platform resting onwheeled supports, it may have a simple and cheap structure.

[0266] 5) Use of a vertically adjustable movable loader of which thesupports and the ladder are adjustable in length will easily enable thehauler to reach a good at a high place.

[0267] 6) Introduction of a fall prevention mechanism will prevent thefall of the movable loader even if its platform is elevated high.

Fourth Embodiment

[0268] A new system according to this invention allows systematizationof the works required for a distribution (transportation) center, moreparticularly, this system allows goods to be stacked in wheeled cages sothat they may be delivered to individual shops, being classified by saleareas or by the order of display.

[0269] This system, by meeting the following requirements, simplifiesthe work, ensures speedy, productive, and precise advancement of thework without missing any good, and makes checking easy.

[0270] 1) Prerequisites

[0271] 1-1) Goods should be transferred to wheeled cages, divided:

[0272] (1) By purchasers,

[0273] (2) In order of arrival from providers,

[0274] (3) By delivery routes,

[0275] (4) By intermediary distribution centers,

[0276] (5) By intermediary distribution agents,

[0277] (6) Goods to be stored in the backroom of a shop should beseparated (it should be determined for a given good whether it will bestored temporarily in a backroom or it will be immediately displayed forsale),

[0278] (7) By categories,

[0279] (8) By display aisles,

[0280] (9) In order of display,

[0281] (10) Materials and products should be separated,

[0282] (11) Goods requiring storage at different temperatures should beseparated, and

[0283] (12) Goods requiring storage at different temperatures but ableto be delivered in a same truck, and goods requiring storage atdifferent temperatures and to be delivered separately should beseparated.

[0284] 1-2) Goods should be stacked on a wheeled cage meeting therequirements introduced in accordance with:

[0285] (1) their weight, and

[0286] (2) the form of their case,

[0287] a. Carton,

[0288] b. Plastic container,

[0289] c. Unit box having the same base size and capable of beingstacked into a pile.

[0290] These requirements may be freely introduced by the user of thesystem of this invention, and the system will function on therequirements selected by the user.

[0291] 2) The Requirements for the Work of a Distribution(transportation) Center and the Flow of Steps Underlying the Work

[0292]FIG. 25 is a functional block diagram of a distribution center towhich the sorting system of this invention is applied. As shown in thefigure, the distribution center is roughly divided into four areas:inflow docks 401 (for storage and passage), a storage area 402, aninflow sorting area 403 and a shipment sorting area 404.

[0293] Cartons picked up from the storage area 402, cartons passed fromthe inflow dock 401-2, and containers which are packed with inflowpiecemeal goods and picked goods at the inflow sorting area 403concentrate to the shipment sorting area 404 where goods are sortedaccording to purchasers, categories, and order of display, and thengoods are stacked on wheeled cages, dollies and handcarts, to betransferred to vehicles for shipment.

[0294] 3) Inflow Goods Should be Received to Meet FollowingRequirements.

[0295] 3-1) Inflow goods to this system are divided into shop groupseach comprising two sequencing groups (SEQing groups) (see FIG. 27). Foreach shop group, goods are divided according to their packed form: onegroup includes goods existing as separate pieces and collected incontainers, and the other goods packed in cartons (see FIG. 26).

[0296] The data of containers and cartons necessary for hauling areautomatically provided through SS (or PHS) wireless communication toterminals near the haulers working at a pick-up area, a storage area,aisles, etc.

[0297] 3-2) The hauler, in accordance with the data indicated on hisdisplay, picks up the necessary amounts of necessary goods. The data aretransmitted to the haulers arranged along a row of racks in accordancewith the time sequence of their pick-up works. If haulers want to workon a certain row of racks and inform of it to the server through anearby terminal, the server will automatically transmit necessary datato the haulers in accordance with the time sequence of their pick-upworks.

[0298] 3-3) FIG. 26 is a flowchart of the steps necessary for sortinggoods at an inflow area of the distribution center as depicted in FIG.25. Goods, after being picked up, are handled as shown in FIG. 26 andshipped. To put it more specifically, picked goods are roughly dividedinto two groups: one group is packed in containers and the other incartons. Containers and cartons then go to respective buffer areas wherethey are sorted according to purchasers, and transferred to a shipmentsorting area, that is, a feature of this invention.

[0299] 4) Definition of the Shop Group and SEQing Group

[0300]FIG. 27 is a block diagram for explaining the definitions of ashop group and SEQing group to which goods are assigned at the initialphase of inflow as depicted in FIG. 26. The shop group is a unit groupof shops to which goods are distributed, while the SEQgroup is a unitgroup of categories under which the goods of a shop group are put.

[0301] Assume that a distribution center distributes goods to beclassified under fifteen categories to thirty shops. Then, the groupcomposition will be as depicted in FIG. 27. In this example, a shopgroup contains ten shops; and for each shop group, two SEQing groupsNos. 1 and 2 are treated in parallel without any interruption.

[0302] Actually, hauling and sorting are carried out at the same timefor both SEQing groups; one SEQing group is sent to a shipment sortingarea while the other SEQing group is sent to a buffer area; and howsorting proceeds at the shipment sorting area is fed back to the bufferarea to control the timing.

[0303] This arrangement will make it possible to advance the workwithout interruption, thereby increasing the speed and efficiency of thework. Such parallel handling may proceed on three or more SEQing groupsas long as the capacity of buffer area permits.

[0304] 5) Goods Should be Transferred to Wheeled Cages, Divided:

[0305] (1) By purchasers,

[0306] (2) By categories,

[0307] (3) In order of display when goods are under the same category,

[0308] (4) By the kind of cases.

[0309] 6) Generation of Data Necessary for Control and Flow of the Data

[0310] FIGS. 28 to 30 are flowcharts for illustrating the generation ofdata necessary for controlling good handling in a distribution center asdepicted in FIG. 25, and the control steps based on the data. The chartsdeal with the steps controlling the handling of goods existing ascartons and containers. As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, inflow pieces aresorted according to purchasers and categories; the sorted groups are putin different containers; containers and cartons are divided according totheir weights; and they are further sorted according to categories at abuffer sorting area. Then, they are sent to a buffer control line whichis described later.

[0311] 7) Composition of a Control System

[0312]FIGS. 31 and 32 are block diagrams for illustrating thecomposition of a control system of the shipment sorting system of thisinvention. The first and second steps may be coalesced into one step.The number of subsystems may be determined dependent on the requirementfor sorting packed goods, and the number of treated goods.

[0313] 8) An Example of a Buffer Control Line for Shipment

[0314]FIG. 33 is a flat view of one example of a buffer control lineincorporated in the shipment sorting system of this invention. Thisdeals with goods contained in containers or cartons, comprises twocolumns, one of which is for the control of containers and the other forthe control of cartons, and includes two buffer control lines for eachcolumn.

[0315] Accordingly, there are four lines between inflow areas and ashipment sorting area 404, that is, container first line 411-CO, cartonfirst line 411-CA, container second line 412-CO, and carton second line412-CA.

[0316] The first line 411 consists of a loop storage line 411 a wherecartons or containers may be circuited before storage, and of plural,parallel straight storage lines 411 b connected to the loop storage line411 a where containers are stored.

[0317] The straight storage line 411 b is divided into two sections:containers are assigned to different sections according to their weightand categories. If a section is filled with containers, excesscontainers may be stored in the loop storage line 411 a.

[0318] Likewise, the second line 412 consists of a loop storage line 412a and plural straight storage lines 412 b, and the output ends ofstraight storage lines 411 b are connected to the loop storage line 412a.

[0319] At this second step, containers are stored in the straightstorage line 412 b according to their weight, purchaser, category andstacking priority. If the line is filled with containers, excesscontainers may be stored in the loop storage 412 a.

[0320] The straight storage line 412 b is provided with a return line413. In case one of the straight storage lines becomes full, it acts asa bypass through which excess cargo may be returned through the loopstorage line 412 a to the other straight storage line for storage.

[0321] Containers stored in a straight storage line 412 b are thentransported to a shipment sorting area 414, where they are sorted bysorters according to purchasers, categories, and the order of stacking,discharged into a shoot line 414 a, and automatically stacked by anauto-stacker 415 onto wheeled cages. Heavy containers A are sorted at alower shipment sorting area while light containers B are sorted at anupper shipment sorting area.

[0322] [1] The first and second lines may be substituted for one line,provided that cargoes can be stacked regardless of their weight and theorder of display. One of the buffer lines may be provided with a returnline so that it may reuse and control the requirements for the nextstep.

[0323] [2] The loop line may be one, provided that the number of cargoesper unit time is sufficiently small.

[0324] [3] The column may be one, provided that the division ofcontainers and cartons is not required, or provided that the cargoes tobe handled are so small that they can be safely handled with one column.

[0325] [4] In the exemplary embodiment, the shipment sorting areaconsists of upper and lower areas, but they may be substituted for onearea, provided that requirements are not stern.

[0326] [5] The control system controlling the delivery of containers andthe counterpart for cartons are connected to each other through looplines, and can substitute for each other in case one of the two controlsystem fails.

[0327] 9) Variants of the System

[0328] This system comprises plural loop lines: one of the loop lines isused as a buffer where cargoes are checked whether they meet givenrequirements, and, when they are found to meet the requirements, theyare delivered to a shipment sorting line, while a combination of theloop lines are used for checking cargoes whether they meet complexrequirements concerning sorting and stacking, as well as facilitatespeedy handling.

[0329] Accordingly, the system of this invention is not limited to sucha system as depicted in FIG. 33, but can be modified or simplified invarious ways according to given requirements for stacking.

[0330] 9-1) Loop Mode

[0331]FIG. 34 is a schematic flat view of a buffer control line based ona loop used in the shipment sorting system of this invention. FIG. 34Ais an embodiment where a loop line 416 is connected to a shipmentsorting line 414, and the loop line 416 can store many cargoes such ascontainers to ease their sorting.

[0332]FIG. 34B is another embodiment where duplicate loops exist; oneloop 416 returns to the stem after depicting a loop and the other 417returns through a shipment sorting area to the stem.

[0333] 9-2) Main Loop/Sub-loop Mode

[0334] This is a high-performance variant of the system of FIG. 34Bwhere sub-loop lines are introduced in the loop lines so that cargoesmay be further divided according to the areas to which they will bedelivered.

[0335]FIG. 35 is a schematic flat view of a system comprising a mainloop line and sub-loop lines incorporated in a buffer control line ofthe shipment sorting system of this invention. As shown in the figure,in this system, two sub-loop lines 418 are connected to a main loop line416, thereby forming six sub-loop areas 419 (L-A to L-F).

[0336] One of the sub-loop lines 418 is combined with the main loop line416 and the shipment sorting loop line 417. Any number of sub-loop linesmay be formed in the main loop line. The number of control lines in asub-loop line may vary from one sub-loop line to another.

[0337]FIG. 36 is a schematic flat view of one example of the sub-loopline area as depicted in FIG. 35. As shown in the figure, a sub-looparea 419 consists of plural buffer storage lines 420 running in paralleland divided according to destination areas, and a return line 421 for asub-loop.

[0338] At the exit of each line 420, 421, there is a discharging device422, and along each line 420, 421, article sensors 423 are provided inits delivery direction such that a specified distance is insertedbetween the adjacent sensors.

[0339] The functions of the units and elements of the system as depictedin FIG. 36 are as follows.

[0340] [1] Primary sorting loop line: this is represented by the mainloop line 416, and has a function to distribute cargoes to six sub-loopareas 419.

[0341] [2] Buffer storage line 420 divided by destination areas: cargoesprimarily sorted at the main loop line 416 is stored here for furthersorting. Transportation along this line may occur as a result of slidingover an inclined surface or being driven by a belt conveyor.

[0342] [3] Discharging device 422: this is a device to discharge cargoesfrom a buffer storage line to the shipment sorting loop line 417. Thisis not always required, provided that cargoes always moves on bufferstorage lines through loop lines.

[0343] [4] Delivery line of the shipment sorting loop line 417: this isthe line to control the delivery of cargoes discharged from bufferstorage lines 420 to the shipment sorting area.

[0344] [5] Article sensor 423: this detects the passage of cargoes alonga buffer storage line, to obtain data necessary for the management ofstored cargoes and tracking of a target cargo. It can also be used foridentifying the SEQ No. of a given cargo as needed.

[0345] [6] Return line 421 for sub-loops: containers and cartons, whilebeing moved through loop line areas from one to another, are sorted tosatisfy given requirements. This line functions as a link connecting oneloop line area with another.

[0346] The sub-loop areas may be provided at both sides of the main loopor at one side. The number of sub-loop areas may be modified accordingto the sternness level of requirements. Further, the functions ofsub-loop areas may not be the same but different: a special SEQing groupof cargoes requiring stern handling may be stored in a sub-loop areadedicated for the purpose.

[0347]FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a variant of the sub-loop line areasas depicted in FIG. 35 in which different sub-loop areas treatrespective requirements. In this particular example, six requirementsare treated.

[0348] 9-3) Multi-stage Mode

[0349]FIG. 38 is a schematic flat view of an exemplary multi-layeredsub-loop line area incorporated in a buffer control line of the shipmentsorting system of this invention. In contrast with the aforementionedsystems based on a combination of a main loop and sub-loops wheresub-loop line areas are formed within the main loop line, this systemcomprises sub-loop lines placed one over another into a multi-layeredstructure.

[0350] To put it more specifically, on both the upper and lower surfacesof a main line 424, multiple layers of sub-loop lines 418 are overlaid.This system will make it possible to effectively use a vacant spaceformed in the upper section of a building of a distribution center.

[0351] 9-4) Straight storage line midway return mode

[0352]FIG. 39 is a schematic flat view of a buffer control linecomprising plural straight storage lines based on a midway return modeof the shipment sorting system of this invention. FIG. 40 is a flat viewof an exemplary distribution center incorporating the buffer controlline as depicted in FIG. 39.

[0353] The buffer control line as depicted in FIG. 39 is incorporated asa secondary line 430 at the shipment area of the distribution center ofFIG. 40, and comprises multiple straight storage lines 433 running inparallel between inflow conveyors 431 and outflow conveyors 432.

[0354] For the lines 433, for example, every three lines are combinedinto a set; for such a set, a line 433 a at the most upstream side isconnected through an inflow junction 434 with an inflow conveyor 431; aline 433 c at the most downstream side is connected through an outflowjunction 435 with an outflow conveyor 432; the exit end of line 433 aand the entry end of line 433 b are connected with a crosslink 436,while the exit end of line 433 b and the entry end of line 433 c areconnected with another cross-link 436; and therewith a continuous routeis established for transportation of cargoes through the lines of theset.

[0355] Further, the exit end of the middle line 433 b and the entry endof the upstream line 433 a may be connected with a cross-link 436,thereby enabling cargoes on line 433 b to return to line 433 a.

[0356] Let us see what happens when containers enter this set of lines.Containers are carried to lines 433 a and 433 b; if containers are foundto meet the requirements for sorting, they are carried from middle line433 b through line 433 c to outflow conveyor 432 which carries them to ashipment sorting area; however, if the containers are found not to meetthe requirements, they are returned from middle line 433 b to theupstream line 433 a.

[0357] The plural sets of numerous straight storage lines may bearranged into a multi-layered structure. The lines arranged into amulti-layered structure will have an advantage of ensuring a wide bufferstorage space in a comparatively limited building space.

[0358] 10) The Precedence of the System of this Invention Over theConventional Method in Meeting the Above Requirements

[0359] 10-1) Conventional method

[0360] A conventional system comprises multi-layered racks to storecargoes, shuttle carriers to send or fetch cargoes to/from the racks,and ladders to elevate or lower cargoes during hauling, managescontainers and cartons according to the properties of goods containedtherein, and automatically performs the storage and hauling of cargoes,and the delivery of cargoes to a shipment sorting area.

[0361] With this system, because the delivery of cargoes with a shuttlecarrier occurs at a rate of one cargo per a shuttle carrier, thehandling capacity of the system is very limited. If it be assumed thatthe system can store 1000 containers, and a shuttle carrier can handle acargo in {fraction (1/1000)} hour, its handling speed will be 1000cargoes/hour which is low.

[0362] Therefore, picking up and shipment must proceed in the timing tomatch this slow speed of 1000 cargoes/hour, and thus it is difficult forthis system to handle a large quantity of goods. Moreover because thissystem further comprises a shuttle type delivery system, and verticallyadjustable ladders, the investment for this system will be several timesas high as that for the system of this invention based on a buffer linecontrol mode, and its handling capacity will be ⅓ to ⅕ that of thelatter.

[0363] If this system is used for handling 3000 to 5000 cargoes perhour, naturally three to five of it will be required.

[0364] 10-2) Shipment sorting system of this invention

[0365] In contrast with the above conventional system, the system ofthis invention ensures following advantages.

[0366] [1] Sorting ability

[0367] With this system, storage of cargoes is stored based on thebuffer line storage mode, and thus the sorting ability can be determinedby the routing speed of cargoes through the line. Therefore, it ispossible to match the sorting ability with the routing speed of cargoes,provided that the speed of cargo movement through the loop line is madeequal to the speed of cargo movement through the exit line.

[0368] Let it be assumed for example that the speed of cargo movementthrough a line (routing speed) is 40 m/min, and that cargoes go oneafter another at a rate of one cargo/m, then, 2400 cargoes pass throughthis line in an hour. If the routing speed is 60 m/min, 3600 cargoeswill pass; and if the routing speed is 100 m/min, the number will riseto 6000 cargoes. If a higher routing speed is desired, the main line andthe exit line may be multiplied: if they are multiplied n times, therouting speed will be simply raised in proportion to n, but the extracost required for the introduction of additional lines will be limitedto that required for the introduction of the multiplicated lines.

[0369] [2] Cost Merit

[0370] Because this system introduces loaders with an inclined topplatform at storage lines, it is possible to reduce the cost necessaryfor maintaining a unit storage capacity half to one ninth that of theconventional system.

[0371] Because with this system it is possible to increase its handlingcapacity several times by simply duplicating the main loop line and thedischarge line, and by paying the extra cost required from theintroduction of additional lines as mentioned just above, it is far morecost effective than the conventional system.

[0372] 11) Sorting for Shipment

[0373]FIG. 41A is a perspective view of a shoot line at a shipmentsorting area of this invention; and FIG. 41B is perspective and flatviews of a shoot line of a conventional shipment sorting area. FIG. 42Ais a perspective view of a sensor and a display device provided to theentry of a multi-layered shoot line of this invention; and FIG. 42B is aperspective view of a handcart used in the conventional system.

[0374] As shown in FIG. 41, a number of shoot lines at a shipmentsorting area are placed one over another into an array 440, and then thearrays are arranged in rows; and as shown in FIG. 42 to the entry ofeach array 440 is provided an article sensor 441 (transmission type orreflection type photoelectric sensor or infra-red ray sensor) to detectpassage of cargoes, and a display device 442 to indicate the content ofpassing cargoes, and required works for them.

[0375] Let us assume that, with the conventional system as shown in FIG.41B, cargoes A, B and C addressed to different purchasers come to asorting area. Because the system has no mechanical means to separatecargoes A, B and C, cargoes A, B and C are mixed inadvertently on ashoot line 440, and thus a human sorter must sort them again, to loadthem to respective carts. Even if they are transferred to appropriatecarts, the porter must check each of them for whether it is transferredto a right cart, by comparing the barcode of the cargo with the barcodeof the cart as shown in FIG. 42B.

[0376] Because of this, the work efficiency remains very low. The workefficiency of the conventional system is 100-130 cargoes/man.hourbecause of loading and checking being cumbersome.

[0377] [1] Assume that similarly to above cargoes A, B and C come to ashoot line of the system of this invention as shown in FIG. 41A. Thecargoes are sorted and sent to respective shoot lines for separatehandling. Therefore, the need for resorting by the human sorter beforethe cargoes are transferred to carts can be successfully obviated.

[0378] [2] Because the need for resorting is obviated, transference ofcargoes to carts is smoothened and the work efficiency is improved,which will reduced the cost involved in the wage of workers for thework.

[0379] [3] Because the system of this invention incorporates an articlesensor and a display device at each entry of shooting line as shown inFIG. 42A, it can obviate the need for checking based on the use of ascanner as is observed in a conventional system. Because this systemuses the sensor and display device in combination with the multipleshoot arrays (circulation sorting), transportation of cargoes will befacilitated; the work efficiency will be improved; and the work speedwill be increased. These advantages will result in the reduced overallcost.

[0380] To put it more specifically, because the system uses the sensorand display device in combination with the multiple shoot arrays, theporter can transfer cargoes in the order of arrival to appropriatedcarts as instructed, and for this work he may only walk a short distancebetween the end of shoot lines and carts. This will bring a sharpincrease in the work efficiency.

[0381] For example, with this system, the work efficiency as high as500-550 cargoes/man.hour will be possible. Each shoot line may have twotails at the end so that two porters may handle cargoes slid down theshoot line. This will contribute to the improvement of work efficiency.

[0382] The display device 442 comprises a work instruction lamp 443, adigital indicator 444, a work check button 445, renewed displayinstruction button 446, and an alarm buzzer 447, and receives adetection signal from an article sensor 441, and data from a hostcomputer. The functions of relevant elements are as follows.

[0383] [1] Article sensor 441

[0384] It detects the passage of cargoes on an activated shoot line, andsends detection signals which are utilized as a material for thecounting of delivered cargoes through the line. Or if it dispatches adetection signal from an inactivated line, that signal is utilized asindicating that the line is wrongly used.

[0385] [2] Work Instruction Lamp 443

[0386] Green: the line is activated or ready for the passage of cargoes(blinking light—line just activated, and continuous light—line underoperation).

[0387] Yellow: the line will be activated next (passage of cargo beingprohibited)(light—line's turn comes next).

[0388] Red: the line is inactivated but detects passage of a cargo(passage of cargo being prohibited)(light in combination with a buzzingsound—the line is wrongly used).

[0389] [3] Digital Indicator 444 Presents Followings:

[0390] a) Purchaser,

[0391] b) Requirements for sorting,

[0392] c) Number to be received, and remaining number,

[0393] d) End of display as indicated by dimmed brightness.

[0394] The above items are differently defined by a number of digits,and their definitions may be varied as needed. The items may beindicated by different colors to improve visibility. The item c) isdetermined from the data sent by the relevant sensor, and is indicatedon a real time basis.

[0395] [4] Work Check Button 445

[0396] Cart full button: a brief push notifies a previous cart isfilled, and a new cart is ready. The push also activates the cart labelof the new cart.

[0397] Printing a cart label: pressing over two seconds causes a cartlabel to be printed.

[0398] [5] Renewed Display Instruction Button 446 The total number to bereceived and the total number delivered: first push causes the totalnumbers of cargoes to be received divided by categories, and the totalnumbers delivered.

[0399] Total numbers delivered: the number of carts delivered isdisplayed.

[0400] [6] Alarm Buzzer

[0401] The alarm buzzer is activated if a sensor detects the passage ofcargo through an inactivated line.

[0402] When work is over, the work instruction lamp 443 changes itscolor from green to red, and the digital indicator 444 becomes dim. If acargo is passed through a wrong line, the work instruction lamp 443gives a blinking red light, digital indicator 444 blinks, and alarmbuzzer 447 gives an alarming sound.

[0403] Because the system of this invention is configured as above, itensures following advantages.

[0404] 1) Because this system comprises loop storage lines and straightstorage lines, it becomes possible to transfer cargoes to carts at ashipment sorting area according to the order of their display at thepurchasers' shops, thereby reducing the works and spaces necessary fordisplay of goods at those shops.

[0405] 2) Because the moving speed of cargoes along the loop storageline and the straight storage line can be made equal to the deliveryspeed of those cargoes at the exit, it becomes possible to easily andrapidly transfer cargoes to carts according to the purchaser, weight,category and order of display of those cargoes, thereby greatlyimproving the efficiency of sorting them.

[0406] 3) Introduction of loop storage lines and straight storage linescan be performed by simply adding a necessary amount of conventionaldelivery lines to an existing system, which will require a small cost,as compared with the merits newly acquired. 4) If plural loop storagelines are combined for a joint operation, or if plural sub-loop areasare introduced, it will be possible to easily and rapidly sort cargoesfor which stern requirements as regards sorting, stacking, etc. areimposed.

[0407] 5) Because this system allows cargoes to be placed in shoot linesaccording to the sorting requirements imposed on the cargoes, the systemcan dispense with resorting often required for the conventional systemdependent on a single shoot line where cargoes, in spite of being oncesorted, are intermingled inadvertently. Moreover, because this systemhas a sensor and a display provided to each exit of shoot line, it canobviate the need for the conventional checking based on a scanner, andthus will make it possible to accelerate the delivery of cargoes, and toreduce human cost required for the work.

Fifth Embodiment

[0408]FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the route lines of a distributioncenter with a secondary sorting station representing an embodiment ofthis invention. As shown in the figure, a secondary sorting station(sorting section) 510 occupies a section of the distribution(transportation) center 511, and is inserted into a network of routelines spreading over the entire surface of the distribution center.

[0409] The distribution center 511 is a center to which goods (cargoes)from vendors concentrate, and from which goods are distributed toretailers such as supermarkets and convenience stores according to theirpurchase orders.

[0410] Goods flowing in the center 511 are passed through route lines;during passage necessary amounts of goods are separated and sortedaccording to the orders of their purchasers; and the sorted cargoes aredistributed from the center 511 through delivery trucks to thepurchasers.

[0411] This distribution center 511 has, in addition to the secondarysorting station 510, an inflow guide line 512, a labeling line 513, aprimary sorting station 514, a buffer line 515, and a shipment sortingstation 516 provided along the network of route lines consisting ofconveyors.

[0412]FIG. 44 illustrates the outline of the inflow guide line of FIG.43: FIG. 44A is a perspective view; and FIG. 44B a schematic diagram. Asshown in the figure, the inflow guide line 512 is an introductory partfor the inflow goods from vendors: goods from the trucks 517 sent byvendors are transferred to route lines (see FIG. 44A).

[0413] The inflow line consists, for example, of 15 lines (a to o):every five lines are combined into a group and thus three groups (a toe, f to j, and k to o) result. Because the lines k to o contain twoconveyors each, they can accommodate many goods that concentrate in ashort time. The lines are combined by groups, and finally merge into onecommon line (see FIG. 44B).

[0414] Checking of goods (commercial articles) is carried out byapplying a scanner to the label stuck on the good itself, or on itscontainer which may carry a barcode, two-dimensional code, or IC(Integrated Circuit) chip. If a good is found, as a result of checking,to have no ID data, it is sent to the labeling line 513.

[0415]FIG. 45 is a perspective view for illustrating the outline of thelabeling line of FIG. 43. As shown in the figure, the label printer Wsticks shipment labels (Shipping Container/Carton Marking Label or SCMlabel) to goods P sent from the inflow guide line 512 to the labelingline 513. The goods P are then sent through a route line to the primarysorting station 514.

[0416]FIG. 46 illustrates the outline of the primary sorting station ofFIG. 43: FIG. 46A is a perspective view and FIG. 46B a schematicdiagram. As shown in the figure, goods sent from the inflow guide line512 and the labeling line 513 receive the first sorting (primarysorting) at this primary sorting station 514.

[0417] Goods flowing through an inflow line 514 a into the primarysorting station 514 are temporarily stored at a primary storage line 518connected to the inflow line 514 a to receive sorting later.

[0418] The inflow line 514 a consists of plural lines because ofimproved sorting ability, and in case any one of them ceases to work onaccount of a system failure. The primary storage line 518 may compriseplural lines correspondent with those of the inflow line.

[0419] The primary storage line may consist of a conveyor based oninclined rollers or of a motor-driven conveyor. The primary storagelines 518 are connected through respective junctions (not illustratedhere) with an exit line 514b; and goods stored in the primary storagelines 518 are sent, the outflow being adjusted at respective junctions,towards the exit line 514 b to merge.

[0420]FIG. 47 illustrates the outline of the secondary sorting stationof FIG. 43: FIG. 47A is a perspective view and FIG. 47B a schematicdiagram. As shown in the figure, goods sent from the primary sortingstation 514 to the secondary sorting station 510 receives a secondarysorting there in the same manner as in the first sorting.

[0421] The secondary sorting elaborates the first sorting: goods sortedaccording to the purchasers in the first sorting are further sortedaccording to respective purchasers. The secondary sorting also includesbuffering.

[0422] Goods P entering, from the exit line 514 b of the primary sortingstation 514, into the inflow line 510 a to the secondary sorting line510 are temporarily stored in secondary storage lines 519 which composethe secondary sorting station 510 (see FIG. 47A).

[0423] Three secondary storage lines 519 each of which consists of, forexample, a motor-driven conveyor constitute a unit wherein, for example,a first line 519 a, second line 519 b and third line 519 c are connectedin series from upstream to down, with a 180 degree bend inserted betweenthe downstream end of the forgoing line and the upstream end of thesubsequent line (see FIG. 47B).

[0424] Goods P flowing from the inflow line 510 a into the first line519 a moves in a direction; when they enter the second line 519 b, theytake the opposite direction; and when they come to the junction betweenthe second line 519 b and the third line 519 c, it is determined whetherthey should be returned to the first line 519 a or further sent to thethird line 519 c (see FIG. 47B).

[0425] If goods carried to the junction in question are found to meetthe requirements imposed on them in advance, they will be sent to thethird line 519 c, and move in the opposite direction to that of thesecond line 519 b. If they could not meet the requirements, they will bereturned to the first line 519 a, and move again on the first line 519a.

[0426] Provided that goods P meet the requirements, they are allowed toflow as far as a shipment shoot line or a buffer line (see arrows (1),(2), (3), (4) and (5) of FIG. 47), while if they could not meet therequirements, they will only circulate within the same unit of lines(see arrows (1), (2), (3) and (6) of FIG. 47).

[0427] The secondary storage lines 519 are connected through respectivejunctions (not illustrated here) with an exit line 510 b; and goodsdelivered to the third line 519 c are sent, the outflow being adjustedat the junction, towards the exit line 510 b to merge (see FIGS. 47A and47B).

[0428] As shown above, at the secondary sorting station 510, goods whichmeet the initial requirements are temporarily stored and sorting is madesuch that, out of the stored goods, those that meet subsequentrequirements are sent in order to subsequent steps.

[0429] Sorting at the secondary sorting station 510 takes place at threestages: firstly, goods are sorted according to their storagetemperatures; secondly, goods are divided according to the kind of casecontaining them, that is, cartons and containers; and thirdly goods aresorted according to their weight. This three stage sorting is applied toany given good to classify it to an appropriate address.

[0430] Take as an example a case where goods which have been sorted asbelonging to the same category but are different in shape come to thestation. The sorter may return them to a foregoing line; the goods willcirculate within the same unit of lines; during circulation they aregrouped with new inflow goods belonging to the same category and havingthe same shape; and then such groups of goods are selected for temporarystorage.

[0431] In short, the station 510 comprises the circuit line and thedelivery line, and sends only the goods that meet the specifiedrequirements to the delivery line.

[0432] The number of the units of line constituting the secondarysorting station 510 may vary according to the quantity of goods to behandled. The embodiment of FIG. 43 has a three-layered structure eachcomprising 28 units.

[0433] Each of the 28 units can arbitrarily choose the requirement forgoods it must check before it allows the passage of goods. If a certainunit checks goods whether they meet a certain requirement before itallows goods to pass through, and goods that must meet the samerequirement increase suddenly, that unit may be increased in number. Inthis way, it is possible to increase or decrease the number of units inaccordance with the number of goods required for meeting differentrequirements.

[0434] Sorting of goods is made according to the property of goods, theshape of their cases, their purchasers, etc. The criteria for exampleinclude followings.

[0435] They are: delivery vehicles, the order of departure of deliveryvehicles, delivery routes, purchasers, sections of the purchaser's shop(temporary storage in the backroom or display for sale), categories,rows of display racks, layers of display racks, order of display,whether they are a material or a product, their storage temperatures(for example 0° C. and 8° C.), whether or not they can be delivered inthe same vehicle in spite of their having to be stored at differenttemperatures, their fragility or robustness, the shape of their cases(cardboard cartons, foldable plastic containers, or stackablecontainers), etc.

[0436] Goods passing through the secondary sorting station 510 comes tothe buffer line 515 and then to the shipment sorting station 516. Anexemplary buffer control performed at the buffer line 515 (see FIG. 43)will be described below.

[0437]FIG. 48 is a diagram for illustrating the operation of anexemplary buffer control. This system comprises two buffer columns forthe control of containers and cartons each being subdivided into firstand second buffer sections.

[0438] Thus, the system comprises four lines: a first container line520, a first carton line 521, a second container line 522 and a secondcarton line 523.

[0439] The first lines 520, 521 comprise loop storage lines for storingcontainers and cartons respectively while allowing cargoes to circulatealong the lines, and straight storage lines 524 b for storing cargoesconnected to the loop storage lines 524 a.

[0440] The straight storage line 524 b is subdivided into two groups (A,B); cargoes are assigned to one of the two groups according to theirweight; and if one group of straight storage lines is filled, excessgoods are sent to the loop storage line 524 a.

[0441] The second lines 522, 523 similarly comprise loop storage lines525 a, and straight storage lines 525 b, and the exit ends of thestraight storage lines 524 b of the first lines 520, 521 are connectedto the loop storage line 525 a.

[0442] Cargoes are stored at the secondary lines 522, 523, after beingsorted according to their weight (A, B), purchasers, categories, and theorder of stacking. The straight storage lines 525 b has a return line sothat, if a line is full, cargoes sent to that line may be sent throughthe loop storage line 525 a to another line having a room.

[0443] Cargoes, after having been stored in a straight storage line, aresent through a buffer line 516 a for shipment sorting to the shipmentsorting station 516.

[0444] The first lines 520, 521 and second lines 522, 523 may compriseone line each, if goods does not need to be sorted according to theweight or the order of display. Or, the buffer system may be reused asappropriate, or the number of loop lines and columns may be variedarbitrarily according to given conditions.

[0445] In sorting cargoes heading towards the shipment sorting station516, multiple loop lines instead of single loop line may be introducedto be combined so that cargoes requiring complicated sorting may besorted efficiently and speedily.

[0446] The system may be simplified if the requirements imposed oncargoes as regards the handling quantity, sorting quantity, and stackingare moderated.

[0447]FIG. 49 illustrates the concept of another buffer control based ona loop mode. The control is based on a complex loop based on thecombination of the shipment sorting station 516 and a loop storage line526. If the shipment sorting station has a sufficient capacity, it canalso incorporates a loop storage line 526 in its sorting line.

[0448]FIG. 50 illustrates the concept of a still other buffer controlbased on a main loop/sub-loop mode. This is a high-performance variantof the system of FIG. 49 where sub-loop lines are introduced in the looplines. In this particular example, two sub-loop lines 528 are connectedto a main loop line 527 so that six sub-loop areas may be formed to beused for further fine sorting.

[0449]FIG. 51 illustrates the concept of a still other buffer controlbased on a multi-stage mode. In contrast with the control based on amain loop/sub-loop mode of FIG. 50 where sub-loop line areas are formedwithin a main loop line, this system comprises sub-loop lines 528 placedone over another into a multi-layered structure. This system will makeit possible to effectively use a vacant space in the upper section of abuilding of a distribution center.

[0450]FIG. 52 is a perspective view for illustrating the outline of theshipment sorting station of FIG. 43. As shown in the figure, cargoessent from the secondary sorting line 510 through the buffer line 515receives final sorting at this shipment sorting station 516.

[0451] Cargoes sent from the buffer line 515 through route lines enterthe shipment sorting station 516; cargoes are transferred from the endsof shipment shoot lines 530 to wheeled cages 531 by the porters workingat the shipment sorting station 516 in synchrony with the outflow ofcargoes; or cargoes are carried through an extended line of the shipmentsorting station directly to a truck.

[0452] The shipment sorting station 516 has multiple rows of shipmentshoot lines arranged in parallel (with the embodiment shown in thefigure, a row consists of two layers); and at the end of each shoot line530, the data of cargoes P are indicated on display.

[0453]FIG. 53 is a perspective view of the end of a shipment shoot lineof FIG. 52. As shown in FIG. 52, at the exit end of each shoot line 530there are provided an article sensor (detection means) 532 and a display(display means) 533.

[0454] The article sensor 532 detects the passage of cargoes P on anactivated shoot line 530. The detection signals are used for calculatingthe stored amount of cargoes P, or, if the signal is dispatched from aninactivated shoot line, to release an alarm for warning.

[0455] The display device 533 comprises a work instruction lamp 533 a, adigital indicator 533 b, a work check button 533 c, renewed displayinstruction button 533 d, and an alarm buzzer 533 e, and displays adetection result of an article sensor 532.

[0456] The work instruction lamp 533 a signals the start of sorting,work instruction, and the wrong activation of an inactive line; thedigital indicator 533 b indicates the purchaser, sorting requirement,current quantity, stored quantity, and completion of shipment for agiven cargo; the work check button 533 c signals the fullness of a cartand the label data of a cart; the renewed display instruction button 533d causes lists of the total amounts of cargoes to be shipped bycategories and the total amounts of cargoes currently shipped to bedisplayed; and the alarm buzzer 533 e emits a warning sound (alarm) incooperation with the article sensor 532.

[0457] Because displaying, checking and sorting functions are combinedas above, it is possible for the porter to meet the sorting requirementsof individual cargoes P by simply transferring cargoes shoved at the endof each shipment shoot line 530 in the order of arrival to wheeled cages531 close to the shoot line 530 in accordance with the data indicated ondisplay. Because transference of cargoes P takes place at a shortdistance between the end of a shoot line 530 and a wheeled cage 531, thework efficiency will be sharply improved.

[0458] Because this system allows multi-layered shoot lines 530 to beassigned to cargoes on which different requirements are imposed, thesystem can dispense with resorting often required for the conventionalsystem dependent on a single shoot line where cargoes (commercialarticles), in spite of being once sorted, are intermingledinadvertently.

[0459] As a result, it becomes possible to rapidly transfer cargoes tocarts, to improve workability thereby speeding up the portage, and toreduce the number of required porters. Moreover, introduction of thesecondary sorting station 510 based on a circulation sorting whichdispenses with resorting improves the accuracy of cargo transfer;checking not based on the use of a scanner as in the conventional systemimproves workability thereby speeding up checking; and overall it ispossible to reduce human cost.

[0460] Cargoes P are transferred in order from shipment shoot lines 530to wheeled cages 531; when a wheeled cage 531 becomes full with cargoesdestined to the same purchaser, the wheeled cage 531 is transferred to adelivery truck 524 (see FIG. 43) assigned to a certain delivery route;and when the truck reaches a purchaser's shop, the wheeled cagecontaining cargoes P destined to that purchaser is removed and deliveredto the purchaser's shop.

[0461] In a distribution center 512 incorporating the systems accordingto this invention, cargoes are handled, throughout all processes frompicking up to transference to wheeled cages 531, in groups divided bytheir purchasers and categories, it will be necessary to also divideinvolved works in the same groups, considering the work efficiency.

[0462] Take as an illustration a distribution center which deliversgoods to 50 purchasers daily, includes 10 shoot lines, and sorts goodsunder 15 categories. Then, if goods are handled in groups, they must begrouped by every three categories. Otherwise, delivery of goods wouldmeet a confusion.

[0463] Sorting of cargoes P is achieved based on automatic allocation: agroup of cargoes will be automatically assigned to an appropriate numberof sorting lines, based on the numbers of current cargoes and ofpreviously handled cargoes of that group.

[0464] As mentioned above, introduction of the secondary sorting centerenables a multi-stage sorting whereby cargoes receive sorting not onlyduring passage through routing lines but also at the additional sortingarea. Cargoes, if they do not meet their specified requirements, arereturned to an upstream routing line to circulate through the line wherethey are further sorted according to a requirement determined for thatline on a real time basis.

[0465] For a given cargo, it is checked whether it may be dischargedinto a downstream line because it meets its specified requirement or itmust be returned to an upstream line to circulate, and according to theresult of check, the cargo may circulate through an upstream loop or maybe discharged into a downstream line.

[0466] According to this invention, a distribution center which receivescargoes coming at random and must efficiently distribute them topurchasers, can introduce requirements for cargo sorting as appropriate,for example, sort cargoes giving the first priority on their temperaturerequirements, transfer cargoes sorted according to the arbitrarilychosen requirements to carts, and deliver cargoes to their purchasers.

[0467] Such arbitrarily introduced requirements may be numerous.However, introduction of the secondary sorting station 510 and thebuffer line 515 capable of sorting cargoes according to theirrequirements will make it possible to rapidly and efficiently sort alarge quantity of cargoes (goods), which will help the distributioncenter to speedily sort cargoes according to their purchasers and toreduce cost involved in sorting.

[0468] Material handling equipment provided to the primary and secondarysorting stations 514 and 510 has a function to manage information asfollows.

[0469] The material handling equipment has functions to sort cargoes inmultiple groups according to their requirements; to serve as a buffer;to guide cargoes into a routing line according to the kind ofrequirements they meet; and to circulate cargoes. For achieving thesefunctions, it manages information regarding the sorting of cargoes inmultiple groups according to their requirements, storage of cargoesclassified by areas and lines, control of route junctions classified bylines, and control of circulation.

[0470] If such material handling equipment successfully achieves thesefunctions by managing the information, it will be possible, for example,for the first storage lines 518 of a first sorting station 514 (see FIG.46B) to have a three layered structure each layer containing 20 lines,thus totaling 60 lines; and for the secondary storage lines 519 of asecondary sorting station 510 to have a three layered structure eachlayer containing 3×3 (3 lines per unit) lines plus 1 circulation loopline totaling 28 lines, thus overall 84 lines.

[0471] Then, the primary sorting station 514 will be able to store about1200 to 1800 cargoes and the secondary sorting station 510 to storeabout 4500 to 6700 cargoes at any one time.

[0472] Sorting at the secondary sorting station 510 may be achievedthrough the control of a hardware resource such as a computer based onthe use of a recording medium recording a sorting program as describedabove.

[0473] As seen from above, according to this invention, cargoes conveyedthrough a routing line are sorted according to their specifiedrequirements; if they are found not to meet the requirements, they arereturned to an upstream line to circulate, and there they are furthersorted according to a requirement assigned to the circulation line; andin this way cargoes receive a multiple-stage sorting, that is, cargoesare repeatedly sorted for each of their specified requirements.

[0474] The secondary sorting station 510 has a loop line through whichcargoes circulate and a discharge line through which cargoes are sentoutside; and cargoes that meet their specified requirements will be sentto a next step. Therefore, cargoes discharged from the secondary sortingstation 510 may have been sorted according to following factors: whetherthey will be displayed for sale or stored in the backroom of thepurchaser's shop; their temperature requirement; their scheduledlocation on the display rack; their fragility or robustness (stackingrequirement); their weight, etc. Moreover, cargoes will be transferredto delivery trucks with due attention being paid to the properties ofgoods contained in them, the shape of their cases, etc.

[0475] Accordingly, with the system of this invention, it will bepossible to avoid such careless handling of goods as follows: placing aplastic container over a cardboard carton; placing a heavy good over alight good; mixing a good to be displayed with a good to be stored inthe backroom; mixing a good to be stored frozen with a good to be storedcooled; and mixing a good to be displayed on a rack with a good to bedisplayed on another.

[0476] By virtue of this, when the purchaser receives goods, he will berelieved of the necessity of resorting them according to theirproperties and the shape of their cases, and can avoid, for example, therisk of exposing fresh goods requiring freezing or refrigerating forstorage to room temperature without due attention being paid because ofhis being busy in resorting and arranging other goods to display racksor to the backroom.

[0477] Incidentally, the above embodiment incorporates a secondarysorting station 510 consisting of a three layered structure each layercontaining 28 units of lines, but the secondary sorting station 510 isnot limited to such a three-layered structure, but may include anydesired number of layers and any desired number of units for each layer.

[0478] The requirements according to which sorting is achieved at thesecondary sorting station 510 are not limited to those mentioned above,but may include any conditions and requirements imposed by the cargoeshandled and the purchasers under contract.

[0479] As seen from above, according to this invention, cargoes conveyedthrough a routing line are sorted according to their specifiedrequirements; if they are found not to meet the requirements, they arereturned to an upstream line to circulate, and there they are furthersorted according to a requirement assigned to the circulation line; andin this way cargoes are repeatedly sorted until they fully meet theirspecified requirements. Therefore, cargoes can be sorted according tofollowing factors: whether they will be displayed for sale or stored inthe backroom of the purchaser's shop; their temperature requirement;their scheduled location on the display rack; their fragility orrobustness (stacking requirement); their weight, etc. Moreover, cargoeswill be transferred to delivery trucks with due attention being paid tothe properties of goods contained in them, the shape of their cases,etc.

[0480] By virtue of this, when the purchaser receives goods, he will berelieved of the necessity of resorting them, and can avoid, for example,the risk of exposing fresh goods requiring freezing or refrigerating forstorage to room temperature without due attention being paid to them.

Sixth Embodiment

[0481]FIG. 54 illustrates the general composition of an article sortingsystem representing an embodiment of this invention. As shown in thefigure, the article sorting system comprises a first conveyor 601conveying trays 606 carrying goods to be sorted; a plurality (six inthis particular embodiment) of second conveyors 602 branching off fromthe first conveyor 601; a sorter 603 to guide a given tray conveyed bythe first conveyor 601 to one of the second conveyors 602; and a scanner605 or a tray information reading means to read a barcode attached to agiven tray conveyed by the first conveyor 601.

[0482] The same system further comprises a plurality (six in thisparticular embodiment) of sorting racks 604 correspondent with thesecond conveyors 602; delivery conveyors 614, 615 which conveycontainers containing goods and kept stored in the rack 604 to a nextstep, that is, to a shipment area; a plurality (three in this particularembodiment) of inflow lines 611 through which goods carried on trays 606are introduced to the first conveyor 601; and a computer terminal 612(PC terminal hereinafter) provided to each inflow line 611. Another PCterminal 624 is provided to each sorting rack 604.

[0483]FIG. 55 is a block diagram for illustrating the composition of thecontrol system of the article sorting system of FIG. 54. As shown in thefigure, PC terminals 624 are connected together with PC terminals 612 toa host computer 640. The host computer 640 forms a local area network(LAN) with PC terminals 612, 614, and the involved computers communicateinformation with each other.

[0484] A scanner 613 to read a barcode is connected to each PC terminal612. To each PC terminal 624 are connected a scanner 623 to read an SCMlabel (shipping carton marking) carrying the information of providers incharacters and barcodes; a label printing device 625 to print a labelcarrying the specification of a good contained in a container; adirection indicator 626 to signal the location of the notified slot fora given good, and an entry indicator 627; and an infra-red beam sensor628 to serve as an entry detection means when a good is put in itsassigned slot.

[0485] Each of the host computer 640 and the PC terminals 612, 624 isprovided with a display device, memory device (e.g., a hard disc), CPU(central processing unit), and a communication interface. The scanner605 and the sorter 603 are connected to the host computer 640, which isengaged in the overall control of the article sorting system (see FIG.54).

[0486] In the following description, a “sorting line” refers to a unitcomprising a second conveyor 602 and a correspondent sorting rack 604;and six sorting lines are called lines L1, L2, . . . , L6. To each oneof sorting lines L1 to L6, are assigned two sorters P1 and P2 while toeach inflow line 611, one hauler P3 is assigned.

[0487] When hauler P3 applies, to the barcode (article identificationinformation) of a good, a scanner 613 connected to a PC terminal 612,the display device of the PC terminal 612 displays the number of thesame goods to be placed on a tray 606. Hauler P3 places the requirednumber of goods on a tray 606, causes the scanner 613 to read the trayidentification information of the tray, and puts the tray on the firstconveyor 601.

[0488] During this operation, PC terminal 612 transmits the datacarrying the tray identification information of the tray receiving thegoods, the information of the good including the kind (category) and thenumber, etc. to the host computer 640, and the data are incorporated inan article information table stored in the memory of the host computer640.

[0489] The scanner 605 reads the tray identification information from atray conveyed by the first conveyor 601, and feeds the information tothe host computer 640. The host computer 640 compares the informationwith the article information table stored in its memory, and with thearrangement pattern of slots of each sorting rack 604, determines whichone out of the sorting lines L1 to L6 the tray 608 should be guided, anddelivers a control signal to the sorter 603 to cause the sorter to guidethe tray to the sorting line thus determined.

[0490] Through this operation, it is possible to automatically guide atray carrying goods to a sorting line along which there is a slotmeeting the sorting requirement of the goods.

[0491]FIG. 56 is a frontal view of a sorting rack of FIG. 56. As shownin the figure, the sorting rack 604 of this embodiment comprises twolayers: the upper layer contains 11 foldable plastic containers whilethe lower one 12 same containers, and thus it includes 23 slots intotal.

[0492] The sorting rack 604 is divided into two blocks A and B; andblocks A and B are assigned to sorters P1 and P2 respectively. To put itmore specifically, out of 23 slots 621 of the sorting rack 604, sorterP1 is responsible for block A comprising 12 slots on the left side whilesorter P2 is responsible for block B comprising 11 slots on the rightside.

[0493] This arrangement makes it possible for sorter P1 to firstlyhandle goods placed on trays 606 and then for sorter P2 to handle theremaining goods.

[0494] As soon as sorter P1 or P2 completes hauling goods through a slot621 into a container, he pushes a label printing button to cause an SCMlabel and a good specification label to be printed; sticks the labels tothe container; and transfers the container to the delivery conveyor 614.The container will be sent through the conveyors 614, 615 to a shipmentarea.

[0495] The sorting rack 604 is provided with a PC terminal 624 and alabel printing device 625 at its center (see FIG. 55), with a scanner623 to read the tray identification information of trays at the lowerlayer, and with an entry indicator 627 above or below each slot 621.

[0496]FIG. 57 illustrates the operation of the entry indicator providedto the sorting rack of FIG. 54. As shown in the figure, the entryindicator 627 has an indication lamp 631, a number indicator 633, acheck button 632 and a label printing button 634. The entry indicator627 is connected to a PC terminal 624; when buttons 632 and 634 arepressed, a signal is fed to the PC terminal 624; and the PC terminal 624delivers a control signal so that the operation of the indication lamp631 and the number indicator 633 may be properly adjusted.

[0497]FIG. 58 illustrates the operation of the direction indicatorprovided to the sorting rack of FIG. 54. As shown in the figure, thedirection indicator 626 provided to each of blocks A and B presents, onits display surface 626a, the number of slot 621 nominated by PCterminal 624, and points to the location of the slot with an arrowthereby serving as a slot direction indicator; and also notifies thekind and number of goods to be hauled in that slot.

[0498] If for example the direction indicator has a rectangular displaysurface 626 a, the following arrangement will be possible: a target slotwill be indicated by a straight arrow a; a window at the tip of thearrow will give the No. of slot; a central window will give the numberof goods to be hauled; and another central window will give the kind ofgoods (see FIG. 58).

[0499] The target slot indicator a or the arrow can take, asappropriate, any one of eight directions: north and south, east andwest, north-east and south-west, north-west and south-east, if it beassumed that the display surface is a compass. The No. of a target slotb, the number of goods to be hauled c, and the kind of goods d are givenin respective windows as digits.

[0500] The locations and numbers of the slot direction indicator a andthe slot No. indicator b are not limited to the above locations, and toeight as described above, but take any location and number as needed.The locations and numbers of the number display c and the kind display dtake any numbers as needed. This holds also true for the shape of theslot direction indicator a, slot No. indicator b, number indicator c andkind indicator d, and for their method of display.

[0501] The kind of a good to be displayed may concern with, as regardsthe packed state of the good, whether a specified number of the goodsare contained in a case or in a bolus, or exist as disjoined pieces orin other forms (undefinable forms).

[0502] The kinds of good are distinguished by different characters andcolors for easy discrimination. For example, when a good is packed in acase, its kind is represented by a green letter C against a common palegray background; when a good is packed in a bolus, its kind isrepresented by a red letter B; when a good exists as disjoined pieces,its kind is represented by a blue letter P; and when a good exists inother forms (undefinable forms), its kind is represented by a yellowletter S.

[0503] These letters and their colors may be chosen and combinedarbitrarily, and if a good is read by a scanner, a corresponding symbolrepresenting its kind will be displayed on the display portioncomprising a liquid crystal display or a plasma display in response to adisplay instruction signal from the PC terminal 624.

[0504] The signals transmitted by the slot indicator 626 as regards theslot direction a, slot No. b, number of goods c and kind of goods d areprocessed by the PC terminal 624; the signals are delivered at the sametiming with a display instruction signal to the entry indicator 627; andthe kind and color of symbol letters are also determined as appropriate.Introduction of such a display method will ensure the rapid and accuratesorting of goods, thereby improving the efficiency of sorting.

[0505] Each slot 621 of a sorting rack 604 has a sensor 628 based on apair of infra-red beam generator and sensor (entry sensor hereinafter).Each time a good or the sorter's hand is put through a slot into acontainer, the sensor detects it and supplies a detection signal to thePC terminal 624.

[0506] In this embodiment, sorting lines L5 and L6 serve as back-uplines of the other sorting lines L1 to L4. As will be described later,if any one of the active sorting lines L1 to L4 becomes full, and thenumber of trays 606 waiting handling before the line reaches apredetermined level, goods otherwise destined to the line will be guidedto either line L5 or L6.

[0507] In this particular embodiment, sorting lines L5 and L6 back upsorting lines L2 and L3, respectively. Introduction of such back-uplines will prevent the delayed or stagnated handling of trays therebyimproving the efficiency of handling.

[0508] Next, the method how to arrange the slots 621 into a patternrepresenting an embodiment of this invention will be described. Forillustration let us assume that the distribution center distributesgoods on a half-day basis; and the memory device of the host computer604 stores the inflow data of goods to be received for the half-day andprovided in advance by their vendors. The inflow good data includes, fora given good, its kind, number, vendor and the date of inflow.

[0509]FIG. 59 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps necessary fordetermining the pattern of slots of FIG. 56. As shown in the figure,firstly, the host computer 640 reads the inflow good information storedin its memory (step S601).

[0510] Then, the computer determines by calculation the total amount(WTOTAL) of goods scheduled to be handled on the half-day; and thendetermines the amount of goods to be handled per a sorting line (WAVE)by dividing WTOTAL by the number of active lines (four lines in thisparticular embodiment)(step S602).

[0511] A work unit W is defined as the amount of goods that a hauler canhaul into a container at one stroke, in stead of a single piece of good.If a good is sufficiently small and a hauler can haul 10 of it at onestroke, 10 pieces of the good form a work unit W. For another good, if ahauler can haul only one of it at one stroke, one piece of the goodforms a work unit W.

[0512] Then, the slot pattern is determined according to the averagework amount or WAVE, and necessary work amounts divided by purchasers(step S603). Let's assume for illustration that the distribution centeris going to distribute goods to purchasers ST1, ST2, ST3 and ST4,arranged in correspondence with the display racks of individual shops.Let's assume further that the work amounts divided by individualpurchasers are determined as follows:

[0513] Work amount WST1 required in the handling of goods to purchaserST1 is: WST1=200 units;

[0514] Work amount WST2 required in the handling of goods to purchaserST2 is: WST2=180 units;

[0515] Work amount WST3 required in the handling of goods to purchaserST3 is: WST3=80 units;

[0516] Work amount WST4 required in the handling of goods to purchaserST4 is: WST4=100 units;

[0517] Then, the total work amount WTOTAL:

[0518] WTOTAL=WST1+WST2+WST3+WST4=560 units.

[0519] The average work amount WAVE:

[0520] WAVE=WTOTAL/4=140 units

[0521] In this embodiment, the work amount is averaged not only for thesorting line but also for the sorter. Therefore, a line is determined tohandle goods requiring 140 units of work amount, and then the slots of ablock is arranged into a pattern so that the sorter assigned to theblock may handle 70 units of work amount.

[0522]FIG. 60 illustrates an exemplary pattern of slots (No. 1). In FIG.60, it is assumed that handling of goods at each slot requires 10 unitsof work amount, and an exemplary arrangement of the slots of sortinglines L1 to L4 is shown in the form of a table.

[0523]FIG. 60A is a schematic diagram of the slots of a sorting rack ofFIG. 56: block A contains slots A1 to A12 while block B contains slotsB1 to B11. FIG. 60B shows the pattern of slots of sorting line Li.Because goods destined to purchaser ST1 are plentiful, all the slots ofline LI are determined to receive goods to be delivered to purchaserST1. LC1 to LC14 refer to the addresses of display location at thepurchaser's shop.

[0524] As shown in FIG. 60C, the slots of line L2 are determined toreceive goods delivered to purchaser ST1 at LC15 to LC20, and goods topurchaser ST2 at LC1 to LC8. As shown in FIG. 60D, the slots of line L3are determined to receive goods delivered to purchaser ST2 at LC9 toLC18, and goods to purchaser ST3 at LC1 to LC4. As shown in FIG. 60E,the slots of line L4 are determined to receive goods delivered topurchaser ST3 at LC5 to LC8, and goods to purchaser ST4 at LC1 to LC10.

[0525] As seen from above, because work amounts are averaged not onlyfor each line but for each sorter, it is possible to prevent any oneline or any one sorter from idly waiting the arrival of new goods,thereby improving the efficiency of sorting.

[0526]FIG. 61 illustrates another exemplary pattern of slots (No. 2).FIG. 61 shows the patterns of slots of sorting lines L5 (see FIG. 61A)and L6 (see FIG. 61B) serving as back-up lines.

[0527] As shown in the figure, the slot pattern of sorting line L5includes, in addition to the slots of sorting line L2 to be backed up(see FIG. 60C), the slots (ST3/LC5 to ST3/LC8) directed to purchaserST3, and the slots (ST4/LC4 to ST4/LC6) directed to purchaser ST4. Theslot pattern of sorting line L6 is the same with that of sorting line L3to be backed up (see FIG. 60D).

[0528] Because, with this system, it is possible to make the slotpattern of a back-up line equal to or at least include the slot patternof a line to be backed up, it will be possible, even if a good otherwiseguided to an active line were guided to a back-up line, to indicate aslot of the back-up line correspondent in position with the otherwiseindicated slot of the active line, and thus to obviate the need forcomplicated works otherwise would be required.

[0529] Because, with this system, it is possible to introduce back-uplines L5 and L6, it will be possible to assist the handling of lines L2,L3 in case handling of goods at those lines were more delayed thanscheduled, thereby improving the overall efficiency of handling.

[0530] The number of back-up lines, and the method how to apply whichback-up line to which active line may be determined depending on theskill of sorters, the total work amount WTOTAL determined for the unitwork period, etc. For example, if the total work amount WTOTAL weregreat, back-up lines should be reduced to one or zero.

[0531]FIG. 62 is a flowchart for illustrating the control steps taken bythe host computer as shown in FIG. 55. As shown in the figure, firstly,a scanner 605 reads the identification information of a tray 606conveyed by the first conveyor 601 (step S701); and the computersearches through the good information table stored in its memoryaccording to the tray identification information provided (step S702).

[0532] Next, after referring to the information regarding the patternsof slots as shown in FIG. 60, the computer determines a sorting line towhich the tray 606 should be guided (step S703). Then, the computerchecks whether there is any back-up line left to back up the nominatedline (step S704) If the computer receives an affirmative answer (Yes),it checks whether the number NTRYW of trays 606 waiting handling exceedsa predetermined level NTH (step S705). If the computer fines NTRYW≧NTH,it switches the line to which the tray 606 should be guide to a back-upline (step S706), and then delivers a sorter control signal (step S707)

[0533] At step S704, however, if the computer finds there is any back-upline left (No), it immediately delivers a control signal to the sorter603 (step S707). Similarly, if the computer finds NTRYW<NTH at stepS705, it delivers a control signal to the sorter 603 (step S707).

[0534] The host computer 640 always checks the number NTRYW of neglectedtrays for each line based on the sorting end signal fed by the PCterminal 624 provided to each line, that is, the number of containersfilled with goods, the kinds and numbers of goods contained, etc.

[0535] It is needless to say, even if a sorter control signal isdelivered, the sorter is only activated after being notified through asignal from a sensor (not illustrated here) that the tray 606 inquestion reaches the position of sorter opposite to the line into whichthe tray should be guided.

[0536]FIG. 63 is a flowchart for illustrating the control steps taken bya computer terminal provided to each sorting line. As shown in thefigure, firstly, a scanner 623 reads the identification information of atray conveyed by the second conveyor 602 (step S801); and the computersearches through the good information table stored in its memoryaccording to the tray identification information provided (step S802).

[0537] Next, after referring to the information regarding the patternsof slots as shown in FIG. 60, the computer determines a slot into whichgoods placed on the tray 606 should be put (step S803). Then, thecomputer delivers a control signal to the direction indicator 626 tocause the indicator to indicate the direction towards the slot 621 (stepS804). At the same time, the computer instructs the indication lamp 631of the slot to give a continuous or blinking red light, and the numberindicator 633 to present the number of goods to be put through the slot(step S805).

[0538] Then, the computer waits the arrival of a detection signal fromthe entry sensor 628 (step S806); and if it confirms that the entry ofgoods is detected (Yes), it checks whether the slot receiving the goodsis the right one (step S807). If it confirms the slot receiving goods isthe right one (Yes), it instructs the indication lamp 631 of the slot togive a green light (step S808), and checks whether the label printingbutton 634 is pressed or not (step S809).

[0539] The label button 634 is provided so that a sorter may press itwhen he finds the relevant container 622 has received all the scheduledgoods, so as to print an inventory of the goods. Therefore, for a givenslot, as long as its label button 634 is not pressed, sorting of goodsto that slot continues as ever. Thus, when the computer finds the labelbutton is not pressed (No), it returns to step S804 to continue sortingfor the slot.

[0540] Later, if the computer finds the label button 634 is pressed forthat slot (Yes), it delivers a signal to the label printing device 625to cause it to print an inventory label (step S810). Then, it checkswhether there are any data indicating the presence of goods to bedelivered to the slot (step S811), and if it receives an affirmativeanswer (Yes), it returns to step S804. If it receives a negative answer(No), it completes the sorting for the slot 606 in question.

[0541] If, at step S807, the computer finds goods are put in a wrongslot (No), it instructs the indication lamp 631 of the wrong slot togive a yellow blinking light, and the buzzer to give an alarming sound(step S812).

[0542] Then, the computer waits until the check button 632 is pressed bya sorter who becomes conscious of the error (step S813); if it confirmsthe button is pressed (Yes), it instructs the indication lamp 631 toresume a normal display and the buzzer to stop (step S814); and itreturns to step S806. If the computer is informed through a detectionsignal from an entry sensor 628 that a renewed entry of good is made, itadvances to step S807, and repeat the same processes.

[0543] As mentioned above, because, with this embodiment, the indicationlamp 631 of a slot 621 to receive goods is lighted, and its direction isindicated by the direction indicator 626, the sorter can easily locatethe slot into which goods should be hauled; the work efficiency will beimproved; and careless hauling of goods into a wrong slot will beavoided. In addition, if goods are put in a slot different from the oneindicated by the entry sensor 628, this is transmitted to the sorter sothat he may put the goods in a right slot. Therefore, the incidence ofgoods put in wrong slots could be greatly reduced.

[0544]FIG. 64 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps taken by thehost computer for monitoring the progress of the work. As shown in thefigure, firstly, the computer reads the sorting end informationdelivered by the PC terminal 624 provided to each sorting line L1 to L6and stored in its memory (step S901). The sorting end informationconcerns with containers which have received the scheduled goods, andcarries the data about the kind and number of goods contained in them.

[0545] Next, the computer instructs the PC terminal 612 provided to eachinflow line 611 to present the kinds and numbers of goods completingsorting on its display (step S902). Immediately thereafter, the computerinstructs the PC terminal 612 provided to each inflow line 611 topresent the kinds and numbers of goods still waiting sorting on thefirst conveyor 601 (step S903).

[0546] Then, the computer determines the number of containers 622 whichhave received scheduled goods and been pushed onto conveyor 614, fromthe sorting end information; and instructs the PC terminals 612 ofsorting lines L1 to L6 to present the respective numbers of emptycontainers to be supplemented on their display (step S904).

[0547] This arrangement enables sorters P3 at inflow lines 611 to adjustthe inflow of trays 606 to the inflow lines in accordance with theprogress of sorting presented on the display, thereby preventing theundue accumulation of neglected goods, or the uneven distribution oftrays among different sorting lines.

[0548] Moreover, because, with this embodiment, empty containers 622 aresupplied through the first and second conveyors 601 and 602 to thesorting rack 604, and thus empty containers 622 are passed through theinflow lines 611, it will be possible to constantly fill the sortingrack 604 with containers, thereby improving the work efficiency.Further, because the sorting rack 604 can obviate the need for storing alarge number of empty containers itself, efficient use of the space willbe ensured.

[0549] In this embodiment, the host computer 640 and PC terminal 624serve as a control means; the memory devices of the host computer 640and the PC terminal 624 serve as a memory means; and the display deviceof the PC terminal 612 serves as a display means.

Seventh Embodiment

[0550]FIG. 65 illustrates the overall composition of an article sortingsystem representing a seventh embodiment of this invention. As shown inthe figure, with this article sorting system, a weight measuring meter607 is provided to measure the weight of a tray 606 conveyed by thefirst conveyor 601.

[0551]FIG. 66 is a block diagram to illustrate the composition of thecontrol system of the article sorting system of FIG. 65. As shown in thefigure, the weight measuring meter is connected to a host computer 640,and its measurement data are fed to the host computer 640.

[0552] The composition of hardware elements excluding what has been justdescribed is the same with that of the sixth embodiment. In thisembodiment, the host computer determines by calculation the weight of aunit of good from the measurement data provided by the weight measuringmeans 607; determines by calculation the weight of sorted goodscontained in containers 622, based on the weight of a unit of good, andthe entry confirmation information provided by the entry sensors 628;and determines, for a given container, it has received scheduled goodswhen the computer finds the sorted goods accumulated in that containerhave reached a predetermined weight. In this case, it is assumed thegoods accumulated in the container in question are the same in kind(category), and the weight increases as a function of the number ofaccumulated goods.

[0553]FIG. 67 is a flowchart of the steps taken by the host computer fordetermining the end of hauling for a given container. As shown in thefigure, firstly, the computer reads the measurement data of a trayprovided by the weight measurement meter 607 (step S1001); anddetermines the unit weight WUNIT of the good (a single piece, or a groupwhen grouped) contained in the tray from the number of the goodscontained in that tray (step S1002) To put it more specifically, thecomputer determines the number N of the units of good contained in thetray by searching through the article information table using the trayidentification information provided by the scanner 605. Then, thecomputer subtracts the weight WTRY of tray 606 from the weightmeasurement WM provided by the weight measuring meter 607, and dividesthe result with the number of units N to obtain the unit weight of thegood WUNIT (=(WM—WTRY)/N).

[0554] Next, the computer refers to the pattern of slots, and identifiesa slot 621 into which the goods contained in that tray will be put (stepS1003); and then waits until it receives a detection signal provided bythe entry sensor 628 of that slot 621 (step S1004).

[0555] If the computer confirms the goods are put into the slot (Yes),it adds the weight WACT of newly added goods to the weight WCT of goodsalready lodging in that container, to obtain the weight WCT of currentlysorted goods (step S1005). The weight WACT is obtained by multiplyingthe number of unit goods by the weight WUNIT of a unit good.

[0556] Next, the computer checks whether the weight WCT of currentlysorted goods exceeds a predetermined weight or not (step S1006), and ifit finds the weight in question is equal to or more than thepredetermined weight WTH, or WCT≧WTH (Yes), it sets the end flag FEND to“1,” (step S1007). On the contrary, if the computer finds WCT <WTH (No),it sets the end flag FEND to “0” (step S1008).

[0557] The weight WCT of currently sorted goods and the value of endflag FEND are stored in the memory of the computer in connection withthe relevant container. The host computer 640, as soon as it finds theend flag FEND value changes from “0” to “1,” informs this to the PCterminal 624 of the sorting line where the container in question 622resides.

[0558]FIG. 68 is a flowchart for illustrating the steps taken by the PCterminal provided to each sorting line. This flowchart is essentiallythe same with that of the sixth embodiment (see FIG. 63) except thatstep S809 of the sixth embodiment is substituted for step S809 a.

[0559] More specifically, in this embodiment, an inventory for a givencontainer is not printed in response to a signal which is delivered whena sorter presses a label button 634; instead the host computer 640practices an entry end determining process for the container(see FIG.67), determines sorting is completed for the container based on theprocess result, and, as soon as setting the end flag FEND to “1,” causesan inventory for the container to be printed.

[0560] According to this embodiment, for a given container 622, whetherit has received scheduled goods or not is automatically determined. Thiswill moderate the burden imposed on the sorter, and reduce the incidenceof goods placed in wrong containers, thereby improving the workefficiency.

[0561] The host computer 640 (control means) is preferably so configuredas to store a master table including the information of goods to besorted, for example, the name of goods, the name of vendors, and thenumber of goods in its memory device (memory means); and to add (write)the weight WUNIT of a unit good to the information of the same good inthe master table.

[0562] Because, through this arrangement, the weight WUNIT of a unitgood derived from weight measurement can be automatically written intothe article master table, it will be possible to relieve the sorter ofthe necessity of feeding input through a keyboard. In addition, providedthat the same good repeatedly inflows, it will be only necessary torefer to the article master table to know its unit weight, which willobviate the need for weighing every good, in as much as that good hasbeen previously weighed, which will improve the work efficiency.

Eighth Embodiment

[0563] If handling of numerous kinds of goods is required, distributionof goods among different sorting lines will tend to become uneven, evenif slots are arranged so that goods assigned to individual sorting linesL1 to L6 and to individual blocks of the racks may be averaged. In worstcases, this will cause goods to be so unevenly distributed amongdifferent sorting lines that some will be too congested with goods tocontinue sorting, which will lower the work efficiency.

[0564] In view of this, this embodiment has ten buffer lines BL1 to BL10inserted between inflow lines 611 and a first conveyor 601, therebymaking it possible to temporarily store trays 606 in those buffer lines,to enable sorting to continue without interruption and to control theentry of trays (goods) to first conveyor 601.

[0565]FIG. 69 illustrates the overall composition of an article sortingsystem representing an eighth embodiment of this invention. As shown inthe figure, buffer lines BL1 to BL10 are inserted between a firstconveyor 601 and a newly added conveyor 601 a connected to inflow lines611. This additional conveyor 601 a is provided with a scanner 605 aconnected to a host computer, and a sorter 603 a.

[0566] Each of buffer lines BL1 to BL10 is provided with a scanner 605 band a stopper 608; and the scanner 605 b and the stopper 608 areconnected to the host computer 640. When stopper 608 is lowered, a trayheld on the buffer line will advance to the first conveyor 601.

[0567] The host computer 640 determines, for a given tray, a buffer lineto which the tray should be guided, based on the tray identificationinformation provided by the scanner 605 a; and instructs the sorter 603a to guide the tray 606 to the buffer line thus determined. In addition,the host computer 640 controls the entry of the tray 606 to the firstconveyor 601 by activating or inactivating the stopper 608 based on thetray identification information provided by the scanner 605 b.

[0568] The operation of this system will be described with reference toa sample case where goods G1, G2, G3 and G4 are handled in one workcycle. Let's assume, the relative amount of good in terms of energyrequired for handling is 30% for G1, 20% for G2, 10% for G3, and 40% forG4. As mentioned above, because the slots of each sorting rack isarranged so that the work amount required for sorting is averaged amongdifferent racks. Thus, the relative number of slots assigned torespective goods is 30:20:10:40.

[0569] Thus, out of 10 buffer lines, three is assigned to store good G1;two for good G2; one for good G3; and four for good G4. Then, the bufferlines are controlled such that each of them ejects trays 606 to thefirst conveyor 601 at the same rate (e.g., one tray per three minutes).

[0570] Through this arrangement, the amounts of trays (number of trays606) stored by buffer lines BL1 to BL10 are averaged; and the entryrates of respective goods to the first conveyor 601 are adjusted tocorrespond with the work amounts required for respective goods atsorting areas. This will prevent goods from being so unevenlydistributed among different sorting lines that some will be toocongested with goods to continue sorting, and thus the work efficiencywill be improved.

[0571] Because, with this system of this invention, numerous kinds ofgood to be handled in one work cycle are automatically assigned to aplurality of sorting lines so that sorting may proceed in parallel amongthose lines, it is possible to greatly improve the efficiency ofsorting, as compared with the conventional sorting which consists ofmoving wheeled carts with goods among racks. Moreover, because, withthis system, it is possible to adjust the distribution of goods amongthe sorting lines in accordance with how sorting proceeding among thoselines, it will be possible to prevent sorting at a certain line frombeing delayed, for example, on account of unskilled sorters beingassigned to the line, and to allow sorting to proceed evenly amongdifferent lines, which will improve the overall work efficiency.

[0572] Particularly, introduction of the direction indicator 626 (slotdirection indicator) activated in connection with the entry indicator627 makes it possible to automatically point to a target slot with anarrow colored differently dependent on the number and kind of goods tobe put in the slot. This will further improve the rapidity and accuracyof the sorting work.

[0573] However, use of the buffer lines is not limited to the methoddescribed above, but may be based on any other method, provided that theentry rates of individual goods from the buffer lines to the firstconveyor 601 can be adjusted to correspond with the work amountsrequired for sorting the respective goods at the sorting lines.

[0574] For example, if the total amount of goods is low, out of 10buffer lines, four may be used for sorting: one buffer line is assignedto each of goods G1, G2, G3 and G4, and stoppers 680 are so controlledas to make the entries of respective goods to the first conveyor 601correspondent with the work amounts required for sorting the respectivegoods.

[0575] The entry of goods from buffer lines BL1 to BL10 to the firstconveyor 601 is preferably adjusted according to the sorting worksproceeding at sorting lines L1 to L6.

[0576] This invention, however, is not limited to the above embodiments,but may be modified in various ways. For example, the article sortingsystem representing an embodiment of this invention uses, as the case tocontain goods, plate-like trays 660 or box-like containers 622. However,the tray 606 may take the same form with that of the container 622. Ifthe tray 606 is made the same in form with the container 622, it will bepossible to obviate the need for supplementation of empty containers622.

[0577] The number of sorting lines, or the number of sorting racks 604is not limited to six but may take any number equal to or more than two.The number of slots of the sorting rack 604 is not limited to 23.

[0578] The control system of this system is not limited to thecomposition as depicted in FIGS. 55 and 66. For example, PC terminalsmay be connected through a hub to a host computer 640.

[0579]FIG. 70 is a block diagram for illustrating another composition ofthe control system of the article sorting system. As shown in thefigure, the system is provided with a sorting server 652 to control asorter 603, a POR (Point Of Receiving) server 653 connected to PCterminals at inflow lines 611, and an assorting server 654 to controlworks related with sorting racks 604. These servers 652, 653 and 654 maybe connected through a hub 651 with a host computer 640.

[0580] Direction indicators 626 and entry indicators 627 are connectedthrough a display control box 655 to the assortment server 654.Alternatively, the control system may be so configured as to make asingle large computer control the whole system, and to distribute adisplay device and a communication interface to each line. In FIG. 70,sorter 603, PC terminal 624, label printer 625, and direction indicator626 appear as single, but in reality each of them exists as multiple(see FIG. 66).

[0581] Moreover, with the above embodiments, a sorting rack is dividedinto two blocks to each of which a sorter is assigned. However, asorting rack may be used as a whole, or may be divided into three ormore blocks.

[0582] Supplementation of empty containers is achieved by feeding emptycontainers through the first and second conveyors. Instead, anadditional conveyor (third conveyor) may be introduced for thesupplementation of empty containers.

[0583] The terms “tray” and “container” used in the above embodimentsrefer to a receptacle to hold goods for their easy conveyance in thearticle sorting system, and are not limited to any shape as long as theytake a box-like or plate-like form and allow goods to be easily takenout or to be easily put in.

[0584] The term “the arrangement pattern of slots” refers to thelocations of slot of a sorting rack in relation to the purchasers(categories) of the goods to be put in the containers behind the slots.

[0585] As detailed above, according to this invention, even if numerousgoods imposing different requirements for sorting arrive at the sametime to be handled at one work cycle, they are automatically guided to aplurality of sorting lines so that sorting of them may proceed inparallel among the sorting lines. Thus, it is possible to greatlyimprove the efficiency of sorting, as compared with the conventionalsorting which consists of moving wheeled carts with goods among racks.

[0586] Further, according to this invention, it is possible to changethe sorting lines to be actively engaged in sorting according to theprogression of sorting at individual active sorting lines, it will bepossible to prevent sorting at a certain line from being delayed, forexample, on account of unskilled sorters being assigned to the line, andto allow sorting to proceed evenly among different lines, which willimprove the overall work efficiency.

[0587] Still further, according to this invention, slots of the sortingracks are arranged into a pattern based on the inflow information givenin advance one day or half-day ahead, so that the work amount assignedto each sorting line may be averaged. Thus, it will be possible to avoidthe concentration of goods to certain sorting lines, or conversely thescanty arrival of goods to certain other sorting lines.

[0588] Still further, according to this invention, the work amounts atthe plural blocks at each sorting line are averaged and thus the workamount for each sorter is averaged. Thus it will be possible to avoidthe concentration of goods to certain sorters, which will contribute toan improved work efficiency.

[0589] Still further, according to this invention, even if work isdelayed at a certain sorting line, trays otherwise sent to that linecould be guided to a back-up line, thereby reducing the number ofneglected trays. This will improve overall work efficiency.

[0590] Still further, according to this invention, it is possible tomake the slot pattern of a back-up line equal to or at least include theslot pattern of a line to be backed up, it will be possible, even if agood otherwise guided to an active line were guided to a back-up line,to indicate a slot of the back-up line correspondent in position withthe otherwise indicated slot of the active line, and thus to obviate theneed for complicated works otherwise would be required.

[0591] Still further, according to this invention, the number of trayswaiting sorting at each sorting line is always monitored, and if acertain line is congested with so many trays, excess goods would beguided to a back-up line. Thus, it is possible to prevent trays fromaccumulating too much at a certain line, which will improve the workefficiency.

[0592] Still further, according to this invention, for goods containedin a tray, its unit weight is determined; the weight of sorted goodscontained in each container is also determined; and it is determinedgoods in a container has completed sorting as soon as it is found thatthe weight of the goods exceeds a predetermined weight. Thus, it ispossible to relieve the sorter of the necessity of pressing a button toinform of the completion of sorting for a container, thereby moderatingthe burden imposed on the sorter, which will reduce the incidence ofwrongly entered goods.

[0593] Still further, according to this invention, the unit weight of agood derived from the weight measurement result is written into thearticle master table. Thus, it is possible to relieve the sorter of thenecessity of feeding it through a keyboard. In addition, provided thatthe same good repeatedly inflows, it will be only necessary to refer tothe article master table to know its unit weight, which will make itpossible to obviate the need for weighing every good, in as much as thatgood has been previously weighed, which will improve the workefficiency.

[0594] Still further, according to this invention, the kinds and numbersof goods which have completed sorting are displayed on the display meansat the sites where the entry of trays take place. Thus, it will bepossible to accelerate the entry of trays which carry goods requiringurgent delivery, or to hold the entry of trays which carry goods whosehandling is unduly delayed, which will prevent sorting lines frombecoming uneven in their sorting works.

[0595] Still further, according to this invention, it is possible toknow how much empty containers must be supplied to a given sorting linebefore the empty containers are actually provided to that line, and toquickly supply the empty containers through a conveyor. The sorting rackis always free from the shortage of empty containers; and it is notnecessary to keep a heap of empty containers beside the rack. Efficientuse of the work areas and space around the racks will be ensured.

[0596] Still further, according to this invention, trays are temporarilystored in a buffer line; and the entry of trays to the first conveyor isadjusted so that no interruption may intervene in the works ofindividual sorting lines. Thus, it will be possible to avoid a situationwhere goods are so unevenly distributed among different sorting linesthat certain lines are too congested with goods to continue sorting.This will improve the work efficiency.

[0597] Furthermore, according to this invention, a tray carrying goodsto be sorted is conveyed by a first conveyor; the tray is transferred toa second conveyor and then guided by a sorter to one of sorting lines;meanwhile the tray identification information of the tray and theinformation of goods contained in the tray are read by a reading meansduring the passage of the tray through the first conveyor; the articleinformation table relating the former information with the latter andthe pattern of slots of each sorting line are stored in a memory means;a control means refers to the identification information thus read, thearticle information table, and the pattern of slots of each sorting linestored in the memory means, to determine which sorting line the trayshould be guided; the control means controls the sorter to this end; thedirection indicating means points to a slot to receive the goodscontained in the tray with an arrow with the address No. added, among aplurality of blocks introduced into the sorting rack; and at the sametime the kind and number of goods to be placed in the slot areindicated.

[0598] Through this arrangement, it is possible to improve theefficiency of sorting multiple goods by small amounts according tovarious requirements imposed by purchasers.

[0599] As detailed above, according to this invention, it is possible toimprove the efficiency of sorting multiple goods by small amountsaccording to various requirements imposed by purchasers.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article sorting system comprising: a firstconveyor to convey trays each containing articles to be sorted; aplurality of sorting lines each containing a second conveyor branchingoff from the first conveyor, and a sorting rack having a plurality ofslots leading to containers into which articles are placed according totheir sorting categories and placed opposite to the second conveyor; asorter to guide a tray conveyed through the first conveyor to one of theplurality of sorting lines; a reading means to read the identificationinformation of a tray conveyed by the first conveyor; a memory means tostore an article information table connecting the identificationinformation of a tray with the information of the articles contained inthat tray, and the arrangement pattern of the slots of each of theplurality of sorting line; a sorter control means to determine anappropriate sorting line for a tray and control the sorter to guide thetray to the sorting line, after having referred to the identificationinformation of the tray read by the reading means, and the articleinformation table and the arrangement patterns of slots stored in thememory means; and a direction indicating means provided to each ofplurality of blocks introduced into the sorting rack so as to indicateby an arrow the number of a nominated slot and its direction.
 2. Anarticle sorting system as described in claim 1 wherein the number of thenominated slot is displayed on each angle of the screen of the directionindicating means, and the arrow located at the center of screen pointsto an angle.
 3. An article sorting system as described in claim 1wherein the screen of the direction indicating means also displays thekind and number of articles to be sorted.
 4. An article sorting systemas described in claim 1 wherein the kind of articles is related withshape which articles to be sorted take during conveyance, and isdistinguished by character and color.
 5. An article sorting system asdescribed in claim 1 wherein the direction indicating means iscontrolled based on a control signal delivered by a computer terminalforming a local network with a host computer, being interlocked withdisplay processing signals notifying the entry of articles to be sorted.6. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 further comprising;a display means is provided to each of inflow lines for introducingempty containers to the first conveyor; wherein the first and secondconveyors are arranged such that empty containers are introducedtherethrough to the sorting rack; and the control means monitors thenumber of empty containers placed in the rack, and instructs the displaymeans to display addresses to receive empty containers, and the numberof empty containers to be supplied.
 7. An article sorting system asdescribed in claim 2 wherein the screen of the direction indicatingmeans also displays the kind and number of articles to be sorted.